Wait For Me
by Lynnth2014
Summary: Robin, Roland and Marian Hood have left Storybrooke for good; Emma, Henry and Regina have gotten a piece of information on the writer of the storybook, but it is never still in Storybrooke, Maine. A stranger has arrived in town; someone is more than they seem and who bears news of something they could never have foreseen.
1. It's Really You

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

Emma and Regina exited the house with Henry behind them, all of them feeling hopeful and quite satisfied with Henry's results. They could tell he was satisfied too. Operation Mongoose was kicking some ass tonight. Regina wore a genuine smile that lit up her face, and Emma was more than glad to see that smile on her lips after what happened with Robin and Marian. Henry caught up to them at the gate. They were on their way to Granny's to have a celebratory dinner for Henry's work, Emma and Regina started for their respective cars, leaving Henry to pick one of them to drive to Granny's with. Digging out their keys, they noticed Henry wasn't with either of them. They stopped, saw he was still at the gate and exchanged a glance before they walked over to him.

"Kid?" Emma touched his shoulder.

"Who's that?" He nodded to the person across the street.

Regina and Emma followed his gaze to the young girl. She was difficult to see in the dark, but they could make out long hair, a bag of some sort and a map. It was very obvious this girl wasn't from Storybrooke, and they started to call to her when she disappeared into a puff of smoke, very like Regina and Rumple do. They could feel the shift in their moods as their guards rose.

"What the hell?" Emma murmured.

"Who was that?" Henry repeated, knowing they probably didn't know the answer, but somebody had to ask just in case.

"I don't know," Regina crossed her arms, "but I fully intend to find out."

"So much for dinner," Henry sighed, although it wasn't entirely a disappointed sound.

"Why don't we worry about her tomorrow?" Emma suggested to Regina. "She's obviously not used to the town, and she didn't try to attack us, so I doubt she'll destroy it overnight."

"And if she does?" Regina retorted, meeting Ms. Swan's eyes.

"It won't matter. She'll have destroyed the town and us." Emma smirked, but Regina was too concentrated to quip back. "Well, I guess we'll meet you at Granny's then?"

"I'll be along shortly."

"We'll save you a seat. C'mon, kid." Emma gave Henry's shoulder a squeeze then headed toward her car.

"Mom?" Henry could see how fixated his mother was with what just happened and the newcomer. "Mom?"

She moved her eyes down to her son. "Go with Emma. I'll be there soon."

"Do you promise?"

She smiled. "I promise."

He nodded and toddled away, and Regina honestly wondered if she could keep that promise. She had so many questions for this mystery girl. She knew exactly which one to ask first. Right now, she needed to find that girl. She was young and she most likely didn't have much control over her magic, so Regina would have no problem tracking it. She would locate where the girl was staying, cast a minor sleeping curse on her and take her to her vault. She would lock her in a room with magic just to be sure. Then she would join Henry and Emma for dinner. In the morning, they would have a nice little chat.

Approaching the exact spot the young girl had stood moments before magicking herself out, Regina tried to track her magic, but...she couldn't. It was beyond baffling; it was insulting. How in the hell did a child no older than sixteen possess the skill to cloak her magic? And this well? There was no way in hell that child was who she appeared to be. This level of magic was close to Regina's level, and she was far too young to even scratch the surface of this kind of power. No matter how good her mentor was. There was only one person who could have taught this girl, and he was currently—and permanently—out of town. Even then it was implausible. He was far too busy with his own plan to leave to have taught this girl, so this wasn't his work. If she wasn't his and she sure as hell wasn't Regina's, whose was she?

After all that has happened these past few weeks, the last thing she needed right now was some potent and possibly unstable magicks in the hands of a child who was roaming around with a map. _A map,_ for pity's sake. She needed to find this kid and now. She would stop by the diner and explain it to both Henry and Emma. She would go alone, partly so someone was there to celebrate this victory with Henry, but mostly so Emma would be there for the others should trouble arise. She knew how this would play out with Ms. Swan. It's how it always played out.

– – –

"Regina, if this girl can cloak her magic from even _you_, I should be there," Emma argued after Regina expressed her strategy on how she intended to locate this girl and bring her in for questioning. The exact look, stance and tone that Regina had pictured. If she grew any more predictable, Regina would just start leaving messages on Emma's phone. It would spare her patience, that was for sure. "We work well together, you know we do, so let's go find this girl."

"I can come too," Henry chimed in. "I can try and talk her down. She's about my age." They both gave that face that spelled out **No** from all angles. "Just a suggestion." He took a drink of his coco.

Regina moved her gaze **No** to Emma and let out a small breath. "I go alone."

"What? Why?" Emma shifted her weight, her grip on the back of Henry's chair tightening ever so slightly with annoyance. "Regina, we'd have more of a chance of finding and...acquiring this girl if we go together. I already let you go off alone to search for her."

"No, we'd have two people trudging through the town at night, perhaps notifying her that we're after her, and I won't have someone with that powerful of magicks escape." She decided to ignore Me. Swan's statement on "letting" her do anything. "I'm going alone, and if she comes after someone in town—or the whole town—you _will_ be here to stop her. Think of the...big picture, Ms. Swan."

Emma released a defeated sigh, seeing Regina had a point. They clearly couldn't just let this girl wander around town, but they couldn't just leave the townspeople unprotected while they hunted her down. Regina was capable and could take the girl on herself. Regina was also very elusive, so she could disappear and try again. If this girl was going for a preemptive strike on the town and Regina was elsewhere trying to locate her, Emma and Snow and David and Killian would be here to stop the kid. Emma might just slow Regina down. She had a lot to learn, she knew that. This was a one woman job for now. Well in a way, they were working together. Regina was hunting, and Emma was waiting.

"Just...call me when you find her," Emma requested. "Keep me posted with this."

Regina nodded. "You'll be the second person I call regarding this girl."

"Who's the first?"

A smile appeared before Regina turned and sauntered out of the diner, leaving the question unanswered. Emma and Henry exchanged slightly worried glances, but Emma shook it off. She needed to make a few calls herself. She needed to make sure her parents knew about this uninvited newcomer, and she needed them to take precautions. After everything, it was time they got a small moment's rest. And for all they knew this girl wasn't a threat, but just in case she was, they would be ready. They would always be ready.

––

Since magic wouldn't work, she had to resort to something more practical and less ideal. She went to the second option as Ruby was busy doing whatever it was Ruby did. Moreover Pongo gave a lot less lip. She explained why she needed to borrow the dog to Archie, who understood and even offered to come along. Regina declined and headed out. She had to do this alone. There was something about this girl—something that called out to Regina. It made her uneasy, and she didn't like that. She would find this child and get all of her questions answered. She just hoped this girl cooperated. She didn't want to hurt a child. She never could or would be able to hurt a child.

Regina took Pongo back to the spot where they first spotted the newcomer, letting him pick up on whatever scent he could find. Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—Pongo found an item the girl had dropped. He jerked Regina off toward a direction before she could even see the damn thing, and the next thing she knew, he was dragging her through town and toward the woods. She felt her throat tighten a bit. Why did everything have to find refuge in the damn woods? She made a note to adjust the curse so that the next time it was used, there would be no woods.

Pongo stopped pulling her finally, Regina clenched her jaw and moved hair out of her face, giving the dog a bitter glare, earning only panting and his tail swatting the air happily. She huffed and looked around, not seeing anything or anyone that stuck out. It was just the woods, dark and deep.

"This is it?" She scanned the area once more, but nothing stood out to her.

Pongo just sat down then dropped, resting his head on his paws, looking sadly up at her, begging for some type of reward.

"I chose the wrong dog, it seems." She rested her hands on her hips, and Pongo whined. "There's nothing out here, so I'm not giving you anything. I don't even have anything to give, so go beg and make those sad puppy eyes at someone else."

Pongo stood up, barked and ran off into the trees.

She groaned. She was so tempted to leave the little flee bag, but he meant something to Archie who meant something to Henry. She had to take the dog home. "I hate pets." She started after him, seeing the trail he left, and she heard giggling. A _girl's_ giggling. She picked up her pace and found an opening; it was Robin Hood and his merry men's old camp. The men had moved as their leader was gone, and they were somewhere else, perhaps catching rabbits with their teeth. They might actually _catch_ something that way. Their aim was disgraceful. Well, not _all_ of them. Her chest ached. Damn these woods.

Moving into the glen, Regina saw the young girl and drank her in. She was older than Henry by a few years, likely fifteen or sixteen. Her long brown hair fell in curls down her back, her skin was pale in the moonlight, and she wore jeans and a long-sleeved, blue plaid shirt. It was evident the girl was made to look as if she belonged here, but Regina knew the truth. This girl wasn't from here. She could _feel_ it. The magicks that brought her here were primal, potent and dangerous. It tainted this girl like a scar, but she wore it with pride and determination. This young girl was more than she seemed, and Regina readied herself for whatever fight she put up. Regina would not lose and would not go easy on the girl, but she would keep her as uninjured as possible.

The girl stood up, having given Pongo enough affection for the moment, and she turned to Regina, who planted her feet, preparing herself for the battle that would ensue. The girl approached her, Regina could begin to make out her features, and the girl eyed her, taking her in as Regina took her in. Her brown eyes were guarded well, very like Regina's eyes. Those brown orbs held so much for a girl of such a young age, and even guarded Regina could make that out. This girl had a strong jaw, a chin similar to Regina's as well, but features like her nose and brow shaped belonged to someone else. Someone who Regina happened to part with only hours ago. Who was this girl? What magicks did she use on herself? Was this some sick joke? What the hell was going on here?

Yet Regina's skin did not crawl, nor did her magic want to cooperate and subdue this child. No, her magic...was reaching for this girl. It was the most indescribable feeling. It was intense yet cradling and gentle, like caressing a baby. It was reaching through more than just air, and Regina could feel the shift in the space around them as the girl stopped eyeing her. There was something else going on here, but Regina wasn't sure what.

The young girl, who was once proud and guarded, let out this pitiful half-cry that held anguish and relief, her guard gone instantly. "Is that—really you?" A smile. "Mom." She ran over and hugged Regina tightly. "It _is_ really you!"


	2. Don't Even

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

Regina shook her head, pacing the length of her couch in her house, the girl who had thrown herself at her sitting on the couch, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she helped herself to. She hadn't called Emma or Henry or—anybody. She just returned the dog and brought the sobbing mess home with her. She could see the similar features all over, but it didn't add up. None of what she had said added up.

Regina peered at the girl as she paced, noting the girl was watching her just as intensely, and she played over the events following the hug in her mind, trying to make sure she had all of it chopped down to the most important parts. She wasn't sure who or what this girl was, but Regina knew how to tell what was truth and what were lies. She would need that skill to determined what to do with her..."daughter".

––

"_Is that—really you?" A smile. "Mom." She ran over and hugged Regina tightly. "It is really you!"_

_Regina was immediately flooded with both confusion and...a sense of familiarity. It wasn't a sense from Regina so much as her magic. It recognized this young girl, recognized her magic. Regina didn't like what she was feeling, but she knew this girl was holding her **too** close. She pushed her away and held her hand out threateningly, but she knew her magic wouldn't hurt this child. Their magicks were too...close, almost bound, almost...the exact same magicks. She would have to rely on scolding and menacing tones to get answers. She could do that without breaking a sweat._

_The girl rubbed at her eyes and exhaled to steady herself. "I'm sorry. That was...unnecessary." She dropped her hands. "Regina."_

"_You know who I am, so tell me who you are," she commanded, her words laced with hostility. _

"_I'm your daughter," she replied. "I—I can't tell you much. You told me not to, but I can tell you I'm your daughter." She smiled. "It's so good to see you."_

_Regina scoffed. "I told you not to tell me anything?"_

_She nodded. "I can't risk the entire future changing, so I have to be careful with what I say and do." She laced her fingers together in front of her. "Do you have any food? I'm so hungry, and I don't have any money. We don't use money in my time."_

_Regina shook her head, ignoring the hungry comment. "The future? What the hell are you talking about?"_

_She sighed, a gentle and understanding sound, and she closed the space between them, gripping the hand Regina had held out. Regina watched as the girl grasped her other hand, curious but with her guard up, and the girl held her hands tightly, thumbs rubbing over her palms. "Wow," the girl sounded surprised and sorrowful, "they're so smooth." She looked at Regina with tears in her eyes. "It really worked. We're here." She laughed, a sound so tormented that Regina's heart ached for her, and she squeezed Regina's hands. "You're even more beautiful than before." She reached for Regina's face, Regina's automatic response was to cast the sleeping spell, and she fell against her._

_Regina was so conflicted, her arms moved around the small shoulders of the girl who claimed to be her daughter from the future, and she held her for a moment, sensing magic beyond her years in the child. She ran her thumb gently across her forehead. Hmm, this girl was in her real form. That just left her words. She would get the truth, but for now she had to get this girl home. Maybe she should have cast the spell when they weren't in the middle of the woods. She would have just magicked them back to her place, but Pongo was with them, and she would need her car in the morning. _

––

Regina had simply dumped her on the couch and went through her bag. She had a few empty books, like the ones Henry found in the mansion, a faded picture that Regina had to use magic to see—it was of the girl and Regina, when Regina gave birth to her at the hospital—and the "map" was actually a page from one of Cora's spellbooks. It was...a lot to process. The page was crumpled and burned a bit, yet it was the same page from the book as the one Regina had found in her vault. It was all pointing toward the fascinating and horrifying fact that this child was telling the truth. Well, not telling as "future" Regina told her not tell past Regina anything. Tsk. When did she start to leave missions that may be very vital to a child who she instructed to only drop crumb-sized hints?

Regina stopped pacing and her eyes flickered to the ring on the girl's left ring finger as she drank from her glass of milk. "Where did you get that?" Regina grabbed her hand, causing her to drop the glass, and it shattered on the floor, the remaining milk spilling over the wood. The silver banded ring and green gem were worn, scratched, but still the same as the one Regina was wearing at that very moment.

"You gave it to me." She was calm, almost as if she was expecting this reaction.

Regina searched her eyes, long and hard, and the girl was very open. Regina could see she was telling the truth. She slowly released the girl's hand, a knock on the front door didn't draw her attention nor did the voice that called to her, and then in came Henry and Emma. "Shit." She folded her arms over her chest. She wasn't ready for them to be here just yet.

The girl shot up. "Henry!" She embraced him tightly.

Emma blinked. "Who the hell is this?" She tried to pry the girl off her son, but the girl wasn't letting go.

"Sit down," Regina instructed, her tone leaving no room for arguments. She released Henry and retook her seat, resting her hands in her lap. "This is our newest addition to Storybrooke."

"She's...friendly." Emma approached the couch. "What's her name?"

"Her name is..." Regina paused. "I don't know. What is your name?"

"It's—erm, Serah." She was lying. "Serah Mills."

"Mills?" Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't she too young to be another of your sisters?"

"She's _not_ my sister," Regina snapped at the same time Serah corrected with, "I'm her _daughter._"

A beat, Henry blinked and was very bemused, and Emma just looked from Regina to Serah, seeing the similarities between the two.

"Daughter?" Henry finally managed. "She's your daughter? How?"

"Don't even," Regina cut off Serah. "I will explain this to them."

"You don't even know what's going on," Serah challenged, standing up. "I do. I will explain this to Henry and Aunt Emma."

"'Aunt Emma'?" Emma repeated and found a seat. "I can't wait to hear this."

"Mom, please, just trust me." Serah walked over to her. "I _am_ your daughter; you have to feel that. You said you would, and you said—"

"Stop saying "I said"! I haven't _said_ anything!" Regina hissed.

"Not yet!" Serah snapped back, and Regina walked away to calm herself, annoyed at how this girl kept saying Regina said this and that. She didn't even know her, how could she begin to claim to know what Regina felt or knew or said. "Do you know how old I am exactly?" Serah asked the room.

"No. How would I?" Regina faced her.

"Guess. Any of you, just take a guess."

"Fourteen," Henry offered.

"Fifteen, sixteen?" Emma guessed.

She nodded. "I am _exactly_ fifteen years old." She met her mom's eyes. "In a lot less than fifteen years from now... What happens in that little amount of time—trust me, it's a little amount of time—causes so much shit to happen that I can't even begin to try and tell you, because while it's just a story to _you_, it's _my_ reality! You all have this lovely town and each other! You're all well and mostly happy! Not me!" Her eyes filled with tears. "Not—not my family. Not...what's left of my family."

Regina frowned. "What do you mean, what's left of your family?"

"Aunt Emma, Uncle Killian..." Her hands balled into shaky fists at her side. "Henry, Roland, Marian...David...Mary Margaret...Neal... and so many others are my family. You all mean the very world to me, and yes, we're a mess, but we're still family. We're a messy, loving, sarcastic bundle of magic casters, archers, sword fighters, healers, believers and book readers..." a small smile, "but we are a family. There just isn't a lot of us left."

Regina sat down in the nearest armchair. "What happened then?"

She sat down and used magic to fix the shattered glass and remove the milk from the floor. "I can't tell you everything." She exhaled to calm her emotions, wiping her thumb under her eye. "Belle made me swear not to, and you don't break a swear to Belle. She always finds out, and she has a scold that makes you feel horrible for weeks." She shook her head. "Anyway, I can only tell you bits and pieces, nothing about your individual futures, and—Henry, don't move."

He froze. "What?"

"If you lean against that stand, you'll break that vase." She nodded her heard toward the vase she was speaking of. "Not that it matters, because if you don't break it now, it'll definitely get broken later."

Henry looked at the vase then scurried over to his mom.

"As I was saying, you'll have to work this out for yourselves. If I just tell you, I may say too much, and I can't afford to make a mistake." She rested her hands in her lap again. "It's a sensitive matter."

"We have to guess?" Emma wrinkled her nose. "You can't give us a name or anything?"

"I'm sorry, but those were yours and Belle's rules."

"All right." Emma rose. "I'll call my parents and Hook."

"And Belle," Serah added. "Belle told me I need to get Belle."

"And Belle." Emma left the room, pulling out her phone and sending urgent messages to Belle, Dad and Mom, and she called Killian. She needed him to do something else, and she didn't want to send it over a text. She peered back into the room where "Serah" was talking to Regina and Henry. The sad part was this kid was being one hundred percent honest with them. Emma only sensed a lie when she told her name. That wasn't damning, but with the way she spoke of their future, it might be.

"Can I ask just one question about the future?" Henry begged, taking his mom's seat when she departed from the room.

"You can ask, but I might not be able to answer."

"Do we find the writer of the storybook? That's all I want to know. I don't need specifics or anything, just a yes or a no."

Serah smiled. "Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Regina lifted her eyes. "Regina and Robin are my biological parents. You and Roland are my big brothers."

"Awesome." Henry grinned.

"Yeah...awesome." A darkness danced in Serah's deep brown eyes, and she lifted her hand to her chest, clasping something that was resting underneath her shirt. She knew Henry didn't notice her pain, and she was glad, but she didn't know that Regina had seen it.

"All right. They are on their way." Emma slid her phone back into her pocket, eyes locking onto Serah's hand. "What do you have there?"

"What? This?" Emma nodded, and Serah pulled out a necklace. It was the swan key chain Neal had stolen for Emma so long ago. The swan was beginning to level, extremely faded, and it held many scratches, but it was the same necklace Emma was wearing around her neck right now. "You gave this to me."

Emma sank down in the seat beside Serah, touching the necklace. "I just gave this to you? Why?"

Serah wrapped her fingers around Emma's hand and lowered their hands down to the couch. "I can't tell you why." She stood up. "I'll be right back. I need to use the bathroom." She hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

"That's not a good response." Emma leaned back on the couch. "So, what has she told you?"

"Not much. We probably have the same amount of information." Regina intertwined her fingers. "I don't know what to think. It's impossible. Time travel?" First it was Zelena who wanted to go back and change her past, and now her daughter. Not only had Serah been able to gather what was needed, but she managed to pull it off without a hitch. How?

"And so soon." Henry removed his coat. "We just dealt with Zelena." He paused. "I wonder how she did it."

"She'd need a resilient heart, courage, a brain, and...the product of true love." Emma glanced between them. "Still, I can't...sense any evil from her."

Regina was trying to wrap her mind around this. "Even if she had all those things," Regina informed them, "she is not powerful enough to have cast that spell. There isn't a chance in hell she could have pulled that off. She is far too young. For her magic to be that strong, she'd have to..." Regina groaned softly. She wasn't entirely sure what Serah would have had to have done. She was too young. She couldn't have simply been born with this level of control and ability to channel her magic that well. She just couldn't have, no matter how young she started training her magic, or who her mother was. It was more than just talent and luck; it required discipline and time.

"But we're sure she's one of the good guys, right?" Henry inquired when his mom didn't finish her sentence. "I mean, you said she doesn't seem evil, and she only lied about her name."

"How'd you know that was a lie?" Emma picked up the glass Serah had repaired.

"She's a horrible lair. Did she see her eyes? They kept shifting, and she stuttered." He gave a shrug that said c'mon. "Besides, she doesn't look like a Serah."

"She looks like Regina." Emma inspected the cup, not entirely sure what she was looking for, but she felt something familiar about Serah's magic. "She certainly has your magical talent."

"Yes, I'm so proud." Regina crossed her legs.

"Well, at least she didn't call herself Hermione," Henry teased.

"For the last time, I was in a pinch. Stop bringing that up."

He chuckled. "She seems nice."

"She seems sad," Regina muttered so softly that only she heard. She was so young, but Regina knew that look in her eyes. Their future was darker than they could ever imagine. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew they had to stop it. Robin didn't matter, finding the writer didn't matter, if all they had to look forward to was something so catastrophic they had to send a child back to try and prevent it from occurring. What the hell was brewing in the near future that could cause them to do this? She couldn't even imagine who could best all of them. Who had such power? Perhaps she should ask: _what had such power?_

– – –

She looked in the mirror in the bathroom, gripping the edge of the counter so tight her knuckles were white, and she drew in a deep, calming breath. As she inhaled, however, her body began to quake, and her eyes were on fire with tears. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears rolling down her cheek, and she tightened her grip even more. _Calm down. Don't do this. Don't do this. That was the past. _She was going to change it so that it would be like this in her present. She was going to make a difference, and everything and everyone would be all right.

She had to change her future, their future. She had to do whatever was necessary. If anything went wrong here, it was all over. She had to be cautious. She had to be level-headed. Crying at the sight of Mom, and crying at the mere mention of the others was not going to save anybody._ Stop letting your emotions get the better of you, damn it!_ _Keep it together, or this spell was all for nothing._ Everything she lost to get herself here, and everything they lost to get her here, would have been for nothing. She needed to not feel, to focus on the mission and get it done. That's all that mattered.

Opening her eyes, she knew that her emotions would always get the better of her. She drew in a deep breath and straightened up. She relaxed her entire body and slowed her racing heart. Squaring her shoulders and swallowing, she reached into her chest to take out her heart.


	3. Worry, Protect, Understand

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

Her fingers broke through the flesh, she channeled her magic, not wanting to accidentally she didn't kill herself or bleed out all over the shiny tiles on the floor, and she cried out. With her free hand, she covered her mouth and focused. She removed it with little difficulty, stumbling back against the wall behind her, and she set her hand over where her heart should be, groaning. That hurt a hell of a lot more than her mother told her it would! Damn it!

Sucking in a breath, she looked down at her heart. Unlike Henry's heart, her heart did not glow with a golden aura, and unlike her mother's heart it did not have darkness swirling around. No, in her heart swirled strands of white. In her heart hope swirled and swelled, for that was what she was. She was hope, their last and only hope. She panted and pushed off the wall. She was going to feel this for a while. Man. It was her first time, and that was always the hardest, especially given that it was her heart she'd just removed.

She exited the bathroom, hearing conversation downstairs, and she headed down the hall to her mom's room. She slipped inside, protecting her heart, and she went to the hiding spot her mom and she had made in the future. She conjured a box and gently placed her heart inside, sealing it with magic and hiding it. She hurried back to the living room and found almost her entire family there. Mary Margaret was speaking with Emma while holding baby Neal; David was standing by Killian and Henry as Regina spoke to them, filling them in on what happened, and Belle was listening intently. It was beautiful. It was the perfect picture of her family: happy, talking, alive. She wanted to remember this, so she drank it in and blinked back the tears.

She came off the last step and entered the room, everyone look at her, and she offered what she hoped was warm, small smile. "Hi." Her voice was airy, matching how she felt: light, like she could float away on a cloud. It was like a dream. She didn't want to wake up. But of course she had to. She had a mission.

"This is her?" Hook gestured with his...hook.

"Yeah." Emma slid her hands into her back pocket. "This is Serah."

"Mills," she asserted. "It's Serah Mills."

"Well, Serah, I'm David—"

"Nolan." She nodded, her smile apologetic for cutting him off as she had. "Yeah, I know. And your wife is Mary Margaret Blanchard, and your baby is Neal. You were considering Baelfire after the diner coronation. He's Killian Jones, Captain of the Jolly Roger. And you're Belle French." Her smile widened. "It's all of you."

"Well, that saves us time." Mary Margaret let out a short laugh to make the air a little less awkward. "So, Regina told us what you said."

"What I said or what she took away from what I said?" Serah questioned, trying to be polite, but she knew her mom well, even if her mom didn't know her at all.

"She's certainly your daughter, no denying that." David had a seat.

"Why don't I make some coffee?" Serah suggested. "You all look exhausted, and I could use something warm."

"Let me give you a hand." Emma didn't want to risk her spiking their drinks. "The kitchen's this way."

They exited together, David and Henry gave each other a look, and Mary Margaret was grinning like a child about to see Santa. Regina didn't want to hear whatever words were going to come out of those hope- and love-preaching lips of hers. Killian excused himself to give the girls a hand, as he only had the one to offer, and he wanted to keep an eye on this girl. She unsettled him.

Mary Margaret rocked Neal gently in her arms. "So, you have a daughter. Or you will in the future. How does that feel?"

"One minute, twenty-three seconds." Regina adjusted the sleeve of her blouse around her watch. "Oh, it's a real joy. You can just tell by the fact that she came back to stop us all from dying horrible deaths."

"I'm just trying to look on the bright side."

"So was I."

Snow ignored that. "She's beautiful, Regina."

Regina said nothing.

"Henry has a little sister too," David pointed out, giving the boy a grin.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool." He chuckled. "Although she's older than me right now."

"Well, when we fix this, it'll back to the normal. With her as your younger sister," Mary Margaret assured him.

"Yeah." He actually sounded pretty confident in that.

When Emma, Killian and Serah returned with the coffee almost everyone took a cup, and they all found some place to be. Killian stood in the doorway, and David stood behind the armchair where Mary Margaret sat with Neal in the stroller beside them. Serah told them as much as she could, which was the same as she had told Regina and Emma. Belle, for the first time, wasn't sure where to even begin to look for answers. If she would just share more, they could really solve this. Why was she keeping so much back?

"That's all?" Killian blurted when she finished.

"For now."

"For now?" David narrowed his eyes. "Why can't you just tell us now?"

"Because...I can't." She bit her bottom lip.

"Because you can't or won't?" Killian barked.

"Look, I'm not entirely sure what _time_ I'm even in," she confessed. "I need to make sure that I don't spill anything and screw up the timeline, because if anything I do makes your future worse, I may vanish and you'll never have a chance to stop what will happen! I'm sorry, but if I could tell you everything, I would in a heartbeat. I hate having all this pressure on me, knowing none of you trust me when I trust every one of you with my life, because I've known you all my entire life. Believe me, I want to save every single person in this room and in this town with every ounce of my being, but it doesn't work that way. This is delicate, so trust that if I'm hiding something it's for you own good. If you can't do that then...this was just pointless." She rose and started for the door but stopped and turned to them. "Look, talk about it some more and when you want to try trusting me, lemme know. Just don't waste too much time." She sauntered out of the house.

"Someone should go with her," David suggested. "Keep an eye on her."

"I'll do it." Henry hopped up.

"Are you sure, kid?" Emma held a hand out to him. "I can do it."

"No, I want to. I'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile then went after her. He caught up to her down the street as she adjusted her bag. "Hey, wait up."

She looked over her shoulder. "Are you my designated watcher?"

"No." She arched a disbelieving brow. "Sort of, but I'm not. I promise."

She smiled a bit. "All right. Where to?"

"Are you hungry?"

"I could eat. Why?"

"I would suggest getting some ice cream, but we don't have an ice cream shop anymore. Do you want to go to the park then get something to eat?"

"That sounds great."

"Let's go."

"Okay."

––

They talked for a long time, Belle eventually cut out to try and find out what this being was, and she also wanted to find Serah and talk to her. She had to know more, and maybe Serah would tell her if they were alone. She had to hope. They might be running out of time as it was. Belle knew she was telling them as much as she could, being brutally frank, and she knew how badly she wanted to help. Belle knew that feeling, and she could relate to Serah. She was going to be smart about this, but she was going to help. No one was going to destroy their town. No one.

Emma thought over the last few words Serah had spoken. Emma knew that pressure well when she went back in time accidentally with Hook. She nearly got her mother killed and erased herself from the timeline completely, her and Henry both. She knew how delicate this was, but Serah had to tell a little more. Maybe if Emma got close to her, somehow she would trust her with this information and reveal more to her. They needed all the major facts, and Emma knew Serah knew that. She would talk, but Emma got the feeling the person she wanted to talk to didn't want to talk to her. Regina didn't even want to accept the fact that Serah was her daughter. If Emma could just bring them together, or if Serah could get through to Regina, they might just get the answers they needed. For all they knew, future Regina told Serah to only tell past Regina. Or past Belle. Serah's face lit up at the sight of Belle. They were close in the future, so maybe Emma and Belle could build off their future relationship.

"We have to keep an eye on her," David declared once again, not sure what he believed. She could be a threat. Zelena reached out to them to get to their baby, maybe that's what Serah was doing now. She might not want Neal, but still. He didn't trust her. He wouldn't trust her until he had proof that she was telling them the truth. He would keep his guard up, keep a close eye on her and if he had to, he would lock her up to keep them safe. Maybe Emma or Regina could find some way to block her magic. Greg Mendell—the mere thought of that man made his teeth cringe—managed to do it, so Emma and Regina could definitely do it. Perhaps Belle knew something. "We don't know if she's really telling the truth. She blocked Regina's magic, so maybe she's clouding your superpower."

"I dunno." Emma couldn't get Serah's face out of her head. "She seemed really...genuine."

"Anyone can act," Killian stated.

"I'm with Emma," Snow interjected. "She looked heartbroken. When she saw us...her face lit up. I've never seen anyone look at us the way she did. She loves us, profoundly, and she wants to do right by us. She's not a threat."

"Well, she's Regina's kid, let's have her decide," Killian proclaimed. Also being Regina's kid could mean she was evil. Evil ran in the Mills line, and maybe they couldn't tame the evil inside Serah. Faking good was easy to do, especially if you're a child._ No one wants to believe a kid could be capable of terrible things_, he thought to himself._ No one wants to go there, because children are innocent; but in fact children are clean slates, and they could go either way._

"He's right. We're getting nowhere." Emma shifted her gaze to Regina. "So?"

"So, what?" She appeared disinterested.

"Should we try to trust Serah, or should we lock her in a cell with magic?" Snow replied.

"Why leave this decision to me?"

"She's _your_ bleeding kid, for one," Killian reiterated. "For another, she came to _you_. And with these two going back and forth, we'll be here all day. No offense, love."

"None taken." Emma eyed the silent yet evidently agitated woman in the room, seeing a struggle behind those chocolate orbs. "Are you all right? You usually have a plan by now."

"Why don't you all come up with a plan? I have better things to do." She headed for the front door.

"Regina," Snow called to her, but she kept going.

"Well, that worked." David was on his feet, heading for the door himself.

"Where are you going, mate?"

"To find Henry and Serah. I don't like them being alone together. I don't know what she'll do to him." He saw the looks from his wife and daughter. "Don't worry. I'll be discrete. They won't know I'm there." He exited the house.

"I'll go with him," Hook told them, "just in case. If this kid went through time, I don't want to find out what else she can do."

Emma gave him a nod and ran a hand through her hair. "Go team," she uttered when it was just the two of them.

Snow smiled weakly. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, we need a plan, and we need Regina." Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "Which do you want?"

"I'll take Regina any day."

"I knew you were gonna say that." She smirked. "Call me after." She kissed her brother's forehead on her way out.

Regina was not the easier choice here.

– – –

"Oh, I wish I could tell you all about it." Serah was grinning as they walked through the park. "It really sucks. I have so many memories, but so few are—I mean, you and I don't have a lot of memories together. You were off being heroic, and I was being coddled."

"I know that feeling."

"There are so many lovely memories about my future, even amidst all that darkness." She sighed. "I keep them with me." It didn't keep the darkness away, but it brought her some joy and love when she needed it most.

"Keep them with you?"

She nodded. "It's a little trick a learned." She looked around then grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the woods. "Don't tell anybody about this."

"I won't. I promise."

She set her hands over her heart—well, where her heart should have been—and closed her eyes. Henry watched as a light grew through her fingers and spread as she lowered her hands from her chest. Images of the woods and running and laughing were displayed in the streams of light. He saw someone who might have been him, and he saw her and possibly Roland. They were in the woods. No, they were in the Enchanted Forest! He was going to see the Enchanted Forest one day! He saw Grandpa for sure with Serah and some other girl. He saw who he thought was himself and Serah sword fighting, training, but he could tell they were recent memories. She was forced to learn all she needed and then was sent away perhaps._ Or maybe that's just how she spent her days_, he argued with himself, wishing she had more than just this. Most of these memories were repeated, slowed, and it made his heart throb.

In the woods behind them, something watched them, watched Serah showed Henry of their future, and it took aim. An dagger sliced through the air, Henry and Serah gasped and the streams of light turned to nothingness. They both whirled around, back to back, and they scrutinized the woods surrounding them, inching toward the treeline. Another dagger zipped by them, they took off running out of the woods, and it crept back to the darkness.

As Henry and Serah bolted out of the park, David and Hook arrived, and the kids ran right into them. David caught Serah by the shoulders, and Killian steadied Henry. Serah freed herself from David's grasps and ran her eyes over the park, panting, but she didn't see anything. She didn't sense anything either. Whatever had attacked them was gone. They were safe for the moment.

"What happened?" David looked over his grandson. "Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?"

"N—no, of course she didn't hurt me." Henry caught his breath. "We were in the woods, and—and some_thing_ attacked us."

"It threw daggers." Serah brushed off the comment made about her. "Almost hit us."

"It?" Hook repeated.

"Yes, it's an it until I know exactly what the hell it was or what it looked like."

"All right, you two wait in the car. We'll go find out." David gave Henry a gentle push toward the car. "Stay put. I mean it."

"I'm coming with you." Serah placed her hands on her hips.

"No, you're waiting in the car."

"Who made you the boss of me?"

"I did, because I'm older than you."

"And I have more magic than you," she shot back. "What are you two going to do? Lecture it to death and poke it? I am going, and you can't stop me. I'm not your grandchild, which you clearly don't see me as anyway, so please stop with your false concern." She turned on her heel and marched back toward the woods.

"Serah."

She whirled around. "David. Just stop, okay? You can treat me like a criminal, not trust me and think of ways to lock me and my magic away, but don't try and be my father! It doesn't that way. You can't hate me and baby me at the same time, so let's just find out what attacked us and why." She continued toward the woods.

"Why do they always insult the hook first?" Killian could see he wasn't lightening the tension so he shook his head and hurried after the kid.

David clenched his jaw and followed Killian, leaving Henry to stand by the car and wonder what made Serah snap like that. She had patience, he'd learn that while they were out, and just now he saw her and David in her memories. They were close. What happened to change that? Maybe she was just trying to change how he saw her. Henry knew Grandpa didn't trust her, just like he didn't trust Mom before. She was a lot like his mom. Just talking to her and being around her, he felt like he was with his mom. Only a lot younger and with bits of Robin there. Mostly her movements and how she said certain things. Mom would only miss Robin more if they spent time together.

He turned away from them and frowned. Mom. He suddenly began to worry about her. How was his mom taking this? She had her happy ending, and everything went horrible after. He needed to see her. They didn't need him, and he was close to the vault. He knew she would be there. It was her study, her safe place and a home away from home. Besides where else was she going to find information on the evil that took them down. Or even Serah.

Serah tromped through the woods, ignoring David and Killian behind her, who were looking for the daggers. They just saw the slits in the trees, but the daggers were gone. She knew the direction they had came in, and she wasn't going to slow down. Being afraid was something she couldn't be. She had to face her fears, and she had the power to stop anything that came at her. If she scared of this, how could she face the real darkness? She could be strong, strong like her brother, powerful like her mother, levelheaded like her teacher and fearless like her mentor. That's what those memories were for her as well. Reminders of what she had to lose and examples of how she had to be. Henry had smiled at those memories, but the woods and the running were from her dreams how things could be. The laughter was real. Real and extremely rare. She could tell by the glint in his eyes he might have seen through the memories. It wasn't a surprise. Henry always knew her best. Why would age or time change that?

"Serah." David's tone was full of irritation. "Serah!"

She kept moving forward, looking ahead and not at the ground, suspecting this thing didn't walk. If it did, looking down wouldn't help. She might miss it if she stared at the ground the entire time. The more she walked the less afraid she was, and she felt confident she could deal with this thing.

"Serah!" David shouted.

"What?" she shouted back, whirling around and falling forward as she turned wrong, injuring herself at the fast and clumsy movement. Her head clipped the tree in front of her, and she landed in the dirt. She groaned at the sharp pain that shot through her ankle, and she pushed herself up, feeling wet warmth on her brow. As she lifted her head, her eyes met the eyes of the thing that had attacked them. Glowing yellow eyes locked on hers, she couldn't move, and she heard hurried feet behind her. She knew instantly what this thing was, and she wanted to talk to it, but she couldn't speak. She couldn't even move, and she felt exhausted. She wasn't sure what she should be doing, but she knew she should rest. Sleep was beautiful, and she needed to sleep. The earth was cold, but she would warm up soon. Her eyes began to close, her head dropping toward the ground twice, and she barely caught herself as its magic began to course through her.

David slid in between Serah and the yellowed-eyed shadow, their connection broke, and it vanished. He rolled onto his knees and faced Serah. "What was it you said? Lecture it to death?" He lifted her head up, discovering blood on her brow, and he rolled her onto her back, picking her up.

"Don't get cocky, old man," she murmured.

He chuckled. "Old man?"

"Thought I was the only one who noticed the grays," Killian replied with a smirk, scratching his cheek with his index finger.

"Just keep walking."

They returned to the car, David called to Henry, but he didn't answer. He cursed under his breath and gently put Serah in the backseat. He would take her to Regina's then leave Henry a message. He probably went to see his mom, and he already had to deal with mini-Regina. He had his fill for the day. Emma could check up on him, and he would comb through the woods for that thing. He wouldn't let it roam around.

"You take the girl home," Hook instructed. "I'll search the woods, and I'll call if I see anything."

"You sure? We don't know what that things is or how to kill it. We may need Emma."

He nodded. "Then we'd best know where to find it. I'll call once I have its location, just get the lass home."

"Okay, be careful."

"Don't worry. I can always "poke" it." He smirked, flashing his hook.

David chuckled and got in the car, heading back to the house with Serah asleep in the backseat. He didn't know what to think of the girl. She was too like Regina, and yet there was something different that made him wary. He didn't know how to act around her. His guard up or down, but with the news she delivered, he wasn't sure if he wanted to trust her. She wasn't telling them anything useful, because she didn't want to ruin their already shitty future. If she really wanted to help, she could edit pieces of it and allow them to fill in the blanks to see who caused the world to go to hell. She might think she was protecting them, but by hiding the truth and playing guessing games, she was only hurting them and wasting time. She didn't even tell them when this was going to happen. Were they just going to wait around for the end, was that it?

He heard soft moaning and glanced back, but she didn't wake up. She was dreaming. He returned his gaze to the road and cleared his mind. Maybe if they just talked to her, made her see she needed to tell them everything to do with this villain, she'd understand. Of all of them, why would they send back a child? She was too young to understand what was happening. Knowing Regina, she likely sheltered the kid, and she may not understand the true darkness in the time she lived in. Why didn't Emma come back? Or Regina herself? Or Henry, or Snow? Neal or himself even. Why send this kid back? He didn't want to consider the possibility of Serah being the only option because everyone else was dead. He wouldn't go there. If they were all alive, he couldn't understand why they would send someone so young to try and help them avert their dark future. Well, then again he sent his and Snow's newborn baby to another land to help them escape their future.

He groaned. Just because Serah wasn't his daughter didn't mean she wasn't telling the truth, didn't mean she was going to try and speed up their dark future. She might just be a kid who was born with a terrible burden on her shoulders, like his own daughter.

Glancing back at the sleeping child, he began to change his first opinion of her. He should get to know her before he judged her. By the way she spoke to him in the park, they were close, and it was hurting her to see him act like he was. He would keep tabs on her, but he would keep his eyes open, and his ears would listen to what she was truly telling them.


	4. Just A Kid

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

"Mom?" Henry walked down the stairs to her vault, not hearing his mom or even seeing her. He called Emma to see if she was at the house or at her office, and Emma said she left the house a while after he and Serah left. Grandma checked the office, but she wasn't there either. He knew she had to be here. The last time she hid, she came out for him after he yelled through the front door. He wasn't giving up. He would find her. He would help her through this. That's what family did for each other. Why did she always think she has to do everything alone? "Mom!"

Still nothing, so he began his search. He spotted a spellbook open, but that could have been done at any time. He continued, but found no evidence that his mom had been there. He remembered there was a hidden room. It was behind a mirror. She had to be there, and she had to be ignoring him. No more. He wouldn't be ignored. She would have to hear him, and he would keep pestering her until she gave up. He located the mirror and saw the door was ajar. He opened it and found his mom inside, the room a mess with books lying haphazardly about everywhere, and he frowned. "Mom?"

"I'm busy right now, Henry. I'm sorry, but I can't talk." She tossed the book she was reading aside and moved to the next one. She tapped her fingernails across the page and bit her bottom lip, trying to recall why that story Serah told was so familiar. The more she played it in her mind, the more she remembered it, pictured it in her mind. It was driving her crazy. She should be able to remember why and where she knew this story. It was the tip of her tongue. For the past hour, it had been on the tip of her tongue. Damn it!

"Mom?" He slowly crossed over to her. "Maybe you should stop."

"I can't. I've almost found the answer. I only need a bit more time."

"I'll help."

She paused and peered over her shoulder at him, lowering the book to her lap. "I thought you were with Serah."

"I was, but I wanted to check on you. I was worried."

Her expression softened, and she was on her feet. "Henry, don't worry about me. I am fine."

"Don't lie to me. How can you be fine? You just found out you and Robin have a daughter in the future, and that future is seriously in danger. Nobody could be fine after getting news like that." He searched her eyes. "Talk to me."

"Henry, there's nothing to talk about," she tried to brush it away. "I understand that I have a _future_ with Robin and a daughter with him, but right _now,_ I have a son and a future that needs to be protected." She set her hand on his cheek. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Me and all of us, including Serah."

She simply nodded. "I have a lot of work to do." She lowered her hand to his shoulder. "Why don't you head home and keep an eye on Serah? I don't want her getting hurt or worse. I need to speak with her again and soon."

"You don't believe her, do you?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not? Mom, you look just alike and you talk alike! You don't even know how similar you two are!" He shook his head. "If you just spend five minutes with her, you'd see it."

"Right now my only concern is making sure she's telling the truth, and that we can handle whatever brings this darkness."

He pursed his lips. "Why don't I bring Serah here?" Regina was already shaking her head. "She can help. She knows what it is, what it looks like and the name too probably. She'd be the best one of us to help you!"

"Henry."

"Mom, she's not going to mess anything up. She probably knows this vault as well as you. It's perfect! She can help you, and Mom and I can look for more clues on the writer! It's—"

"Henry, no!" Her tone left no room for arguing, and her eyes were vacant, frigid almost. "I don't need help, and I don't think looking for the writer is important right now."

"What? Of course it's important. It's your future, Mom."

"And look how wonderful that is." She gripped the book she held. "Henry, just go home and stay with Serah. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Fine."

She watched him depart and frowned to herself. She didn't mean for her words to come out as austere and terse as they had. It wasn't his fault. It was the writer's fault. She wasn't in the mood to seek out that asshole and politely ask him to do anything for her. He gave her a happy ending, only throw darkness and fire at it. What was the point if it was going to end like that? Henry would be at risk. He might not even survive. If he had lived, Regina knew she would have sent him back in time. Having Serah in Serah's time would have been an asset. She could use magic, heal and cloak them. Henry would have been older and more recognizable than a child Regina had never seen before in her life. For Regina to have sent Serah here, Henry would have had to have been killed. She would never let that happen, not ever. She was going to change their future and ensure Henry would be safe. They all would be safe. He would understand when he had children of his own, but for now, she would have to be the bad guy. She played that part well.

– – –

David gently set Serah down on Regina's bed then he moistened a washcloth from the bathroom and wiped the blood from her brow. He removed her shoes and covered her with the duvet, turning off the lights to let her rest. He padded down the stairs and pulled out his phone to let them know that she was safe and sound, and that he was going into the woods with Emma and Hook to find whatever had tried to murder her and Henry.

He vacated the house a few minutes later, and ten minutes after, Henry returned home. He tossed his coat on to the couch and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He spotted Serah's bag on the table in the hall perfectly in between the doorway to the living and the stairs. He stepped out of the kitchen and picked up the bag. He dropped down on the stairs and hesitated. He didn't want to go through her things without her permission, but he had to know more about her. If he could learn more, he just might be able to get through to his—their mom. He bit his lip and thought hard for a moment, the worn leather bag heavy in is lap. Sometimes, he decided after a moment, one just has to snoop.

He buttoned the bag and opened it, seeing story books inside. He grabbed one and flipped through it, seeing blank pages. He frowned and set a hand on a smooth pearly white page, and he wondered why it was blank. He really wanted to know why she had them with her. Of all things to grab for a trip through time, she chose this. Well, perhaps it wasn't her choice. Mom might have made her take them. No, Belle. Belle would definitely make sure these books survived. Her reality couldn't even guard these books or her.

"They smell like ash and blood."

He jumped and found Serah standing behind him. "W—what?"

She lowered herself down beside him. "These are the very last story books to have ever been bound." She took it from him and closed it, sliding her hand over the smooth leather. "Belle made me take them." She smiled sadly.

"Belle and you were close?"

"We are very close." She nodded, eyes full of big tears. "Belle taught me so many things. She read me to sleep, taught me how to calm my temper and how to look like a lady while still being able to speak wisdom and get respect."

"Mom didn't teach you anything?"

She wiped at the tears that fell and held her hand out; he gave her the bag back, and she pulled out a faded picture. She used her magic to clear it up, revealing the true image. "Mom was there for me since the day I was born, but she had a lot of responsibilities." She shrugged a shoulder. "Belle and Emma practically raised me, because Mom was always so preoccupied."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Whenever she was around, it was great." She beamed cheerfully. "It was like Christmas, but better. I never knew when she would have time for me, so when she came around...it was amazing, the best part of my day. She made our time together special. Somehow, despite rarely seeing each other, Mom and I were always close."

"How often did you see her?"

"Well, we trained almost every day, but she wasn't my mother then. She was my mentor." She picked at her thumbnail. "Mom couldn't be lenient with me, not with the world I was growing up in getting more lethal every second, so when we trained together...it was for hours with hardly any breaks. She couldn't allow me to rest or tend to a burn from her fireball or mine that...backfired on me. She couldn't, even though I knew all she wanted to do was wrap me in her arms and heal my burns and my cuts. She had to detach herself for my own good, and at first it...upset me. I used to cry and throw a fit, demand that she look at me, at my wounds, but she never did. She just said, "Again". And when I turned eight, I threw another fit, but that time...I saw it."

"Saw what?"

Her eyes painted the scene, and she gripped the book in her lap. "Agony. She wanted to do all the things I screamed a mother should do when her child is hurt. She wanted to do all of them, to support gently, to ease me through the levels of magic, to take her time with me, to allow my magic to flourish on its own, but our family and the world couldn't afford her to. That was my last tantrum. I understood after that." Serah chewed on her bottom lip. "Uh, she taught me everything I needed and wanted to know about magic. I'd be a novice without her."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Her smile softened. "And you taught me everything I needed and wanted to know about swords. You're a real...badass in my time."

His brows rose. "Really?"

"Really."

He nodded to himself. "Do I have a beard?"

"What?" She laughed.

"Do I? 'Cause that would be awesome."

She tilted her head back and pressed her lips together. "That might be too much information."

"Oh, c'mon! It's not!"

She laughed. "Yeah, you have a beard. It's not bushy, but not a stubble. You also have—nice teeth." She mentally kicked herself. She couldn't tell him about that. If she mentioned that... It would be best to avoid any and all conversations involving battle scars. She didn't want to mention the battles anyway. They still haunted her, every time she closed her eyes.

"Good know I kept up my dental hygiene."

"Well, it is very important." She pulled her legs in and rested her hands on the book. "It's so strange to talk about myself."

"Why?"

"Because I don't exist. Not really." She moistened her lips. "The person I am today won't exist in ten years from now." He started to frown. "Don't. That—even though as it doesn't sound like it—is a very good thing." She offered him a reassuring smile then stifled an impulse to rest her head on his shoulder. This was and wasn't her big brother. It would be very awkward. They'd only just met.

"Are we close?" he spoke after a muted minute swept through.

"Extremely."

"Good. I'm gonna make sure we stay close."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

They had yet another moment of silence, Henry could sense how much she wanted to help them, and he knew in his heart that she was without a shadow of a doubt one of the good guys. He would help her as best he could. She was risking so much for them, and it was only fair they risk for her as well. Their family was known for making risky decisions anyway. What was one more?

"Are you hungry?" Henry peered at her.

"Are we actually going to eat?" She replaced the items in her bag.

"Yeah."

"Good, because I'm starving."

"Let's go to Granny's. I'll call Mom and have her meet us there."

"Emma or...?"

He thought for a minute. "I'll call Grandma." He rose off the steps.

"I'm going to go wash up, but I'll be down really quick." She climbed the stairs and located the bathroom. She took one look at herself and groaned. She had grass stains all over the shirt Emma had given her, and her jeans were torn. Belle was wrong; they were _too_ threadbare to be worn. She set her bag on the counter and unbuttoned the shirt and began to ball it up but caught a glimpse of herself. "Shit!" She had forgotten about that! Well, not forgotten but was used to them seeing it, but they weren't them. Shit. If Henry saw this scar, he'd ask questions, and he couldn't ask questions.

She slipped back into the shirt and grabbed her bag off the sink. She checked the hall, hearing Henry still speaking with Mary Margaret and she sped to her mother's room, setting her bag down on the bed and stepping into her closet. She sifted through the many blouses in many hues and materials, and she was astonished. She could remember a time when her mom would get dressed up for dinners, but that felt like so long ago. She had all these nice clothes. They were beautiful, much nicer than the clothes they wore now, but they made due. They had to save their magic for fighting, and when they weren't fighting, they were resting or on watch. Clothes are important, but survival was their top priority. Sometimes they had some of the kids make clothes, but mostly they were training. If they couldn't fight they would just die. Anna and Emma and Henry worked to the bone to ensure that didn't happen. Henry taught swords—he was the very best at it—Anna worked more with defensive and boasting morale, and Emma helped those with magical talent. Mom was always too busy scouting and hunting to train the others, but luckily Elsa and Mal helped too. Elsa taught control while Mal taught curses. Mal was...evil, and Aurora wanted her banished, but the enemy of my enemy was my friend. They made it work, at least.

Serah swallowed. She missed them so much. They were here, but they weren't here. It wasn't the same. She wouldn't see them ever again. And if she did, they wouldn't know her like they did, and she wouldn't know them like she did. It wouldn't even be a dream. Her reality would turn to smoke and ash and blow away on the breeze. That was the goal, but losing the relationships, losing the lessons and losing the love they had would be was unfathomable. Her fingers wrapped around the swan that dangled from her neck. She would remember it all until her last breath.

"Serah?" Henry called up the stairs.

"One minute!" She removed a random red blouse from a hanger and slipped into it, running out of the room and snatching her bag. She met him by the door. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Grandma and Neal are gonna meet us at the diner."

"Awesome."

They headed out to Granny's on foot, talking about nothing in particular really. It was small talk, but it was nice. It took her mind off of what her family was doing at that exact moment. It was equally rather interesting to see pre-war Henry. He wasn't otherwise engaged with training or watch, and he didn't constantly have his guard raised. He was fun and light, and a surge of happiness coursed through knowing that this was the Henry that would be her older brother. She loved Henry, and she understood exactly why he was how he was in her time, but he never lightened up, not even on good days. But after all he lost...

Entering the diner, Serah was more than stunned to see everybody there. David, Killian, Emma, Mary Margaret, Belle and even Mom. She looked at Henry, who gave her an apologetic wince, and she gave him a small shake of her head. It was all right. She was okay they were here. They needed to talk anyway. This just made it much easier. The sooner the better, right?

"We're not here to ambush you," Emma began, gesturing to the people around her. "We just want to talk."

"And eat," Henry chimed.

"Well, I can do both quite well." Serah gripped the strap to her bag. "Where do you want to start?"

"With how you got here," David answered. "The spell that sent you back in time."

"Didn't Zelena do the same thing?" She folded her arms. "You know how I did it, with what ingredients and where I wanted to be. And there's not much else to tell. Next question, please." She held up a finger. "Before this long and mostly likely taxing interrogation begins, could I please get something to drink? And some food, please?" She removed her bag. That peanut better and apple jelly sandwich had long since digested.

"Could I see that?" Regina held her hand out, indicating to the bag that hung off Serah's shoulder.

"Yes, but we both know you've already gone through it." She handed it over.

"Oh, and how do we know that?"

"Because you're my mom, and I would do it too. Strange newcomer in town, claims to be related to me directly, of course I'm going to go through her bag after knocking her out with a sleeping spell. All I ask is that you don't take anything. Those items mean a lot to me, and I can't bear to lose any more—of them." She quickly slid into the booth and rested her hands in her lap. She really needed to stop explaining why things meant so much to her.

Belle sat across from her and offered her a smile. "I have a request."

"And that request is?"

"Tomorrow, I'd like to see you, preferably at the...pawn shop down the street."

"Of course. What time?"

"In the morning."

"I'll be there. I'll try to be there at six or seven."

"Oh, you don't have to come that early. Ten or eleven is fine with me."

"Ten then."

Henry joined them with food, Emma and Belle exchanged places and David took the seat beside her, and they began to ask questions about her time. She wanted to answer, but she couldn't. Just before she cast out of her time, Emma put a spell on the key chain that was against her skin under the blouse. It wasn't that effective, but it stopped her from answering the questions they were asking. It dried her throat out, making her cough or chug any drink, provide a distraction from the question. It was a warning not to give away too much information, and she tried to think of a way around it, but she couldn't. She could see the disappointment in their eyes, but what more could she do? What happened to them was so deeply intertwined with their choices and knowledge. She couldn't tell them. If they tried to avoid it, they might make it worse. They needed to defeat this evil _before_ it came into power. If only she knew what the hell that was. Of all people to send, they sent the one who can barely remember when this happened. Her entire world was darkness, blood, fire, terrified screams of young ones and the fallen, ashen bodies, and very few moments of light and family. She clung to the good times in the present and the past, all of the good and even the bad was gone. She didn't remember her childhood. It was a blank, and all she knew was that everlasting darkness and scent of fresh blood and the wails of someone dying or being abducted. This reality was jarringly brutal to her. It was the beautiful here, and all she wanted was the dangerous chaos of the after. At least she knew what to do, how to act, where to be. She was a fighter and a healer who protected the young and the old. She wasn't often on the front line, but she went there if she was needed. She was the strongest magic user of her class there. But here? She didn't know what the hell she was here.

Well, aside from unwanted.

– – –

A few minutes before the sunrise, Serah made her way silently outside to the backyard. It was lovely, green and alive. She was used to seeing many graves and black smoke. This was a refreshing change. She did a few of the training techniques and relaxed her entire body as per usual. She mediated in the yard, connecting with everything underneath and around her. She knew she was being watched. After last night, Mom kept her eyes on every movement she made. Some things never change. Mom watched her like a hawk in her time too.

Mom had offered to let her stay at her house. Nobody complained, though Serah knew it was so that she could keep her away from everyone, keep her locked in her room all night with magic. She didn't mind. That was how she slept before, and it was oddly consoling. It didn't ease the nightmares, but nothing ever did. She let out her breath slowly, opening her eyes to find a brown paper bag dangling in front of her. She looked up and discovered the hand that held the bag belonged to Emma.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"What's this?" She climbed to her feet and accepted the bag.

"A bagel from Granny's. I figured you'd be hungry. Regina's not a breakfast person, and I'm your ride to Belle's, so I figured I'd grab you something. It's blueberry. I hope you don't mind." Regina was all about the apples, maybe Serah was too? They didn't have apple bagels. Well, apple cinnamon, but it was too late for that.

"No, it's fine. I love fruit when we could grow it." It smelled delicious, and the bag was warm. She couldn't wait to eat it. "Wait, you're my ride? Is it that late already?"

"No, I'm just early."

"Well, umm, then I should change and eat this. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They stepped inside, Serah excused herself to get cleaned up, and Regina entered the kitchen, glancing at Serah she walked by. Emma drank from her to-go mug and shook her head at Regina, and Regina ignored it.

"When are you going to lighten up?"

"When she stops acting like this guessing game is cute and appropriate."

"She's just a kid." Emma swiped a drop of coffee off the lid of her cup. "She's trying to help, but she doesn't know how."

"Sure."

"What would you do? If you were her, what would you do?"

"Something! I sure as hell wouldn't sit around and tell people useless information! If she wanted to help, she would just tell us and stop being so ridiculously childish!"

"That's a little difficult to do, considering she _is_ a child!"

"That's no excuse. At her age, I knew—"

"She's not you!" Emma interrupted. "She's your kid, but she's not you! And maybe she does want to tell us, but she's choosing to wait and tell you! You're her mother, and she adores you, but you're just pushing her away!" She scoffed, but Emma continued. "I bet you're the one she wants to open up to, but will you let her? No, you won't. I'm going to try, so is Belle and Dad and Mom. Just put yourself in her shoes for a minute and see why she doesn't feel like opening up to people she's loved and lost."

"If she opened up, she wouldn't have to lose them," Regina spat.

"Maybe they'll just lose her instead." Emma grabbed her cup. "Whether or not you believe she's your kid, you need to stop treating her like she's the reason everything went to hell."

"How do we know that she's not? She might have come back to accelerate the process, make it so that there is no way to prevent things from going to hell!"

"I don't know her all that well, but I do know she hasn't lied about anything important. She hasn't used any magic other than to repair a cup of yours she broke and to heal her sprained ankle. She hasn't tried to hurt us or brainwash us. All she's done is struggle with herself and try to answer our questions as best she can. That's what she's done while you've been eyeing her and waiting for her to destroy us all."

"I don't trust her."

"No shit."


	5. Scar Of Mine

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

Emma barreled out of the room and waited by the front door for Serah. Once Serah returned in the clothes Regina had "given" her to wear, Emma drove her to the pawn shop where Belle and Henry already were inside working as Serah ate the breakfast Emma had brought her. Serah thanked her for the ride and again for the bagel and joined them in the shop. She went into the back to speak with Belle, to let her know she was here.

"Good morning." Belle closed the book she was reading.

"Morning."

"I've been meaning to talk to you. It's important." Belle led her to the chaise and sat her down. "Now, I know you don't want to talk about it, but I have some questions. They're different than the ones David and Emma asked, but if you could just answer them to the best of your ability, it would really help my research."

"I'll do better than that." She dug through her bag. "I couldn't—wasn't allowed to give you this in front of the others—you insisted—but here." She held out a worn leather bound book. "It's from you. Uh, future you. I hope this answers all your questions. You—she tried to be thorough, but...with the watches and the skirmishes and the kids, it was arduous. She rarely slept. Anyway, I hope this suffices."

"Oh. Well, thank you."

"No, thank you." Serah hugged her. "I'm sorry if this is weird, but I may not get the chance to thank you again, so thank you, Belle, for everything you did for me."

"Oh, you're welcome." Belle patted her back.

After a minute, Serah released her and decided to help Henry. He and Emma were looking for what attacked them in the woods. David and Killian had no luck finding it, so it was up to them. Emma was doing the field work for this, and Henry was stuck with the research. Serah was thrilled to help, and she was pretty sure she knew what it was, but she wasn't at the same time. She had some ideas, but she couldn't say with a hundred percent confidence she was right. If she was wrong and used magic on it, it might amplify the power it already had and take over the town. She really wasn't going to risk that thing destroying their town.

"Find anything?" She looked over the stack of books Henry had piled on the counter.

"Not yet."

"Lemme help. What have you read aside from that?" He pointed to the one book beside him. "I like reading. It's always an adventure." She grabbed a stack and sat on the floor, opening the first book and skimming through the pages. "So...is anybody else coming? Or will it be just the three of us?"

"Emma's going to stop by once she's checked in on my grandparents, but that's after she's done scouting."

She nodded.

––

"No luck?" Emma could tell by the mood in the apartment they hadn't found anything useful. They split up and agreed to meet back here; she and Killian didn't find squat, as did her parents it seemed.

"Just mud." David scratched his head. "We'll head out again in a bit. I'm sure we'll find it."

"I have Belle and the kids looking in to it."

"How'd it go with Regina?" Snow lowered her cup of tea.

"It went...right into a fight."

"Emma." Snow's lips formed a line. "You said you could talk to her."

"I can talk to her, but that doesn't means she listens. She's stubborn. She doesn't trust Serah at all."

"Can you blame her?" David leaned back on the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "She's holding back."

"Not with Henry," Emma corrected him. "She talks to him about her past..future...? You know what I mean. It's the unimportant stuff, but it's still talking. It's trust. She trusts Henry, and she's opening up to him. They're probably thick as thieves in her time, and we know she's close to all of us, so it's only a matter of time before she comes clean to one of us."

"That makes sense." Snow carried her mug over to the couch with her.

"So...who do you think she'll chose?" David cast a glance between them.

"My money would be on Regina, but I'm sure Serah is picking up on the loveliness that is Regina not trusting her for a second, watching her like a dog and practically locking her in a dungeon that looks like a bedroom." She folded her arms. Poor kid. At least she hasn't gotten the speech about how Regina will destroy her. Yet. It made sense that Regina didn't reach for trust first, but how long could she keep it up? Until the darkness was creeping passed the town line? "Second guess? I dunno. She and I haven't really talked, so if she comes to me, I'll be very surprised."

"Yeah," David concurred, "all we've done is fight."

"When did you fight?" Snow crossed her legs.

"When Hook and I went to find her and Henry in the park. It was after we knew something had attacked them, or tried to attack them. I told her to stay in the car with Henry, she went off on me about how I was trying her like a criminal yet I was babying her at the same time."

"Dad," Emma groaned.

"What? I was trying to keep her safe."

"I understand, but she's capable of taking care of herself. Regina would have made sure of that." She hoped anyway. She slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "Look, I know we don't know her to any extent, but we have to try and trust her. We won't get anywhere without trust." She tucked hair behind her ears. "If anything goes wrong or if she is lying, I'll take the fall. And I know we can handle whatever comes next. We always do."

"Except for this next time," Snow commented. "I trust Serah, but I don't understand why she won't just tell us what happens. If this person is so evil, so formidable, why won't she tell us about it and save time?"

Emma opened her mouth to answer but had none. She just shook her head. She wondered that herself.

––

Henry heard another pained cry escape Serah's lips, and he looked down at her, seeing her shift uncomfortably. It appeared as if she was trying to concentrate on the words on the page in front of her, but something was distracting her. From the sound of her groans, it was obviously wasn't a numb behind but something that was making her suffer. He watched a wince cross her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" She didn't look at him. She couldn't have him guess what was wrong or have him see the full force of the pain that wracked her body. She just needed a moment, to put her energy somewhere else so her mind would stop zooming in on the white hot waves of electricity sweeping through her body and making it a million times worse. She felt dizzy and nauseated from the agonizing waves, but luckily, she could handle that. However it would soon overtake her, pull her down in to red waters and drown her. She couldn't handle it at that point.

"You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, just...cold." She cleared her throat. "Just gonna walk for a sec, warm myself up." She stood up and stretched her legs by walking around the shop. She studied the many items that were in the case and on the shelves. She rubbed her neck, trying to ease the stress that was coming from her back. She knew this was going to happen sooner or later. She had hoped it would be later. Emma was kind of wrong about the last treatment. It lasted well for two days, but it was wearing off. She only had _one_ vile. Shit, this was only going to make things worse. She needed time, but...that was only going to worsen the searing pain and the scar.

She was told by her mother and by Belle and by Emma that she needed to do this little by little. The whole truth might be too much or might furtherance events. Mom told her to only tell a little then Belle told her to make sure Belle received that notebook, and Emma just gave her the usual talk. She had to be communicative, but she didn't even tell them her real name. She had no reason not to. Nobody told her to lie about her name. She just did. She felt like she had to, as if telling her name would cause something disastrous to occur. Something disastrous was already happening however.

She lowered her hand from her neck and gazed at the ring on her finger. She could remember the last things they all said to her, could feel the hearty embraces and could remember the scents. Those would all be gone the next time she was this age. They may already be gone, which was why she had to keep fighting, had to remember their words. She had to get through to her mother. She had to.

"Hey, Serah?"

She faced Henry. "Yeah?"

"She'll come around."

"She?"

"Mom." He closed the book he had just finished, trying to find a picture or description of what attacked them in the woods, but he was unsuccessful. "She just needs time."

"I know. She's not my mom, she's yours." She shrugged a shoulder. "It's fine."

"Why don't you talk to her? She's probably in her vault."

"No. No, this is more important at the moment." She returned to her seat. "Let's just get back to work."

He turned in his chair and rested his elbows on the counter. "So, it was black with big glowing yellow eyes?"

"More golden than yellow, but yeah."

"Are you sure you don't know what it is?"

"I think I do," she admitted. "It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't...recall. It's driving me insane. I can practically guess it, but...I don't even know where to begin at the same time."

"Maybe Belle found something."

"Maybe."

"Let's go check."

Before they could move, Belle rushed into the room with book Serah had given her, and she was trying to speak; but she was so excited or possibly confused, she couldn't. Henry tried to make heads or tails of what she was trying to say, and Serah just waited.

"What attacked you in the woods," she finally and coherently informed them, "wasn't trying to hurt you."

"Uh, I beg to differ. It threw daggers at us," Henry reminded her.

"Yes, but when it had Serah on the ground, it didn't attack her, right?" They nodded. "It was only trying to prevent Serah from revealing the future."

Serah clambered to her feet. "What?"

"I—future Belle—wrote it down."

Serah scoffed. "I can't believe she didn't trust me."

"Well, you were doing just that," Henry murmured.

"Still. I could have been showing you vital information."

"But you weren't." Henry slid off the stool. "So, it's not dangerous?"

"It is, but only when provoked. I—she called it a preventer. It was sent back with you so if you used magic to show your present to us and was about to reveal critical information about our individual futures, it'd stop you. Emma did it as a way of keeping an eye on you." Belle hugged the book to her chest. "It'll keep an eye on you, but it won't hurt you. Emma made sure of it."

"But you said it would if it was provoked," Serah pointed out.

"Yes, well not all wrinkles can be ironed out."

"That's what you'd call it? A wrinkle? It might kill me!"

"Only if you use magic to reveal memories," Belle corrected her, "which as I hear you did."

She opened her mouth, hands on her hips and rolled her head to the side. "A little bit, but I've already admitted to that. Well, Henry did for me, as always."

"It won't be a danger to us, and it wouldn't kill you." She hoped. Future Belle was rather vague about that. "Perhaps it would knock you out."

"Great." Henry lifted his hand and pointed to the book. "Where'd you find that?"

"In the back," she lied. "It was under a pile of old books. I just...picked it up by chance."

"So, how did it know about my mom knowing Serah so well?" Henry insisted. "And why did you keep saying "future Belle"?"

"Henry, it's...not something she can explain," Serah spoke before Belle. "Just trust that the source is reliable and accurate."

"Sure, okay. I better call Mom and let her know about this."

"I'll be in the back, if you need me." Belle's eyes fell to the sloppy pile of books on the floor and counter top. "Organize those books, please."

"Yeah." Serah picked up the books that were on the floor and set them on the counter while Henry called Emma and let her know about the preventer. She could feel the burning in the mark on her back, and she clenched her teeth. She needed to get home and mediate. It might sooth the pain. If Emma came back, she might try and talk to her some more. She wouldn't last that long. How she was managing now was beyond her. She needed to get somewhere quiet soon, and there was one place she could think of that felt safe and was peaceful.

Using her magic, she transported herself to the cemetery. She nearly collapsed, feeling that white-hot pain coursing through her back, and she sucked in air, gripping her knees. Of all the shit she packed, she left out the most important thing. After Mom came into her room and practically tossed out all the junk from her pack, she really didn't think adding more would be a good idea. She should have added them. She was a dumbass for not adding them. Damn it, she knew she was leaving something out. She regretted not adding more to the bag now, though there was little point. The damage had been done.

Gathering her strength, she stumbled slowly to the family vault. She managed to get down the stairs, but only just. She tried to go further inside, but she fell to her knees, crying out as the darkness that infected the mark spread further, moving toward her blood. If that happened, this was all for naught. She needed to do it now. Right now.

She reached into her boot and pulled out the small vile that contained one of the two ingredients needed to halt the progression of the infection that _he_ lashed into her back when she was ten. The only moment her mother had left her unprotected, and even though she had been training since she was five, he was stronger and got the better of her. She knew mom never forgave herself, even after she told her she didn't blame her, not one bit. Mom always took things hard. It was Serah's fault. She was reckless and petulant. She should have listened to her mother. This might have been avoided if she would have just listened.

She wasn't sure how to do this, how to channel pure light magic and tap into the power of the crushed root, because she had never done it herself. Emma and Mom always took care of this for her. She was just a kid the first time, but as she got older, they still did it for her. Perhaps they were just used to doing this for her, wanting her to save her strength just in case. Now, it was just her. She had to do it herself and do it correctly. She could do it. It wasn't just _her_ magic after all. Yeah, she could do this.

She removed the cork from the vile and swallowed the crushed root, choking it down. She set her hands on her chest, overlapped, and she used unadulterated light magic, trying to cast back the darkness that marred her back. She had to use a lot. _His_ grip was secure, even in a different time, and she had to keep it at bay. If the darkness reached her blood, she was _his_—a creature of unimaginable terror, entirely overcome by dark magic and malevolence—and all hope would be lost. They didn't know enough to stop him, so this had to work. She couldn't just be the child they picked to do this. She wasn't a child anymore. She couldn't be. But she also wasn't alone. She had family with her, even if they didn't know they were family. They would be a family in time, but for now, she had to make sure they lived long enough to be that family to each other.

She panted as she felt the darkness receding, and she smiled. Mom would be so proud. She did it without any help or any previous instruction. Emma and Mom always did it, because of the amount of light magic it needed. She could never weld that much light magic, but luckily her magic wasn't working alone. She had help. Normally, she didn't use a lot of magic unless she was in a fight, because it only seemed to make the darkness spread, so she limited herself, but this time it did the exact opposite. That was great. Her eyes slid shut as she blacked out from using so much magic.

Regina stepped out of the hidden room as Serah fell unconscious, having seen all of it. She couldn't just leave the kid on the cold floor. This meant more lifting. At least Serah was easy to life being so thin. She walked over to her and moved her onto her back, seeing the vile she had used a moment ago. She picked it up and saw a small amount of crushed root in the bottom. She wondered what Serah was using this for, and she wanted to know what the hell she just did to herself. She was in such agony, groaning and sweating, weak and pale, but this helped. Helped _what_ exactly?

Dropping her eyes to the unconscious girl, Regina began to wonder what exactly happened to Serah in this dark future of theirs.


	6. Dark Magic

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

Looking over the last of the crushed root, Regina was coming to the conclusion this root hadn't even existed _until_ their dark future. She had no idea what it was made from, but that was a good thing. It obviously wasn't a pleasant plant. She questioned why Serah swallowed it, and with such urgency. She could always ask when the kid woke up. It was only fair. She came into Regina's vault without permission and fainted in her hall, so the least she could do was answer Regina's questions.

Regina continued her research, trying to find even a whisper of what this might be, but she was getting nowhere. It wasn't even a mutation of a different herb. It was entirely new. She could hear Serah mumbling in her sleep. She didn't want to be concerned, but the way she mumbled, so soft and tone so full of fear made Regina stop and look at her. She seemed too young to have that tone in her voice. Regina's mere presence would invoke that tone in peasants. This future was real, and from the way her eyes kept fluttering, how her hushed voice trembled, she was not apart of the evil that caused it. And if she was, it had grown out of her hands.

"No...please," she murmured, finally something coherent Regina could understand, and it brought a frown to her lips. "Please..."

Regina sat beside the young girl with her legs crossed and a book resting over her thigh, arms folded. She was trying to read over a passage in the book in front of her, but she couldn't get those words or the tone out of her head. She braved a peek at the girl's face and saw herself at that age. She was so young, forced to grow up quickly because the world around her was not made for children. She was beautiful. She had the same jaw as her grandmother and aunt and mother, Regina noted. She had the same hair color, only a bit lighter. She had the same brows as her father. She was...without a doubt her child. That was the unpleasant truth. How wrong did she have to go to make the decision of sending her little girl away okay? It was for the greater good, but she was just a child. Why send her? Were there truly so few of them left?

As Serah's brows creased, her eyelids fluttering, Regina reached over and moved hair from her face oh-so carefully. She set a hand on her forehead, grazing her thumb gingerly over her brow, trying to ease her grief and settle her into a gentle sleep. She smiled a little when Serah began to calm and fall into a deeper sleep. She kept her hand there until she was sure Serah was asleep and then a little longer simply because.

– – –

Serah woke up, feeling somewhat drained but much better. She pushed herself up, feeling something slid down her shoulders, and she rubbed her eyes. Someone had taken her off the ground and covered her with their jacket. She knew by the scent it was her mother's jacket. She couldn't help the small smile that crept across her face, and she set her hands on the black coat, feeling really warm and comfy where she was. She loved this vault. It was home more than the actual house. Likely because this is where they were always at. Those who survived, those who didn't turn on each other for power. It was home, only in this time without all the beds and cracked walls and sounds that normally were associated with the vault. It still lowered her walls and opened her mind to the memories.

She heard movement and rolled onto her knees and was so pleased to see it was her mother. She was carrying a tray of tea, and there were two cups. _Two_ cups.

"Oh. You're awake." Regina halted in the doorway, suddenly unsure. "How do you feel?"

"Rested." She set her feet on the floor and set her coat beside her, realizing the chaise lounger had no back. "Did you... Did you move me?"

"I was researching when I heard a noise. By the time I got to you, you were already unconscious. I wasn't going to leave you on the floor." She set the tray down on the chaise and sat on the other side. "It's chamomile. I thought that would be best. You were in pain before you fainted. Care to tell me why?" She filled the cups with tea.

"Just...my ankle...that I healed. I guess my healing magic could use some work. I probably made it much worse."

"Your ankle is fine, Serah."

She gulped. "My head?"

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing! If it were important to saving us, I would mention it, but it's not. Not really. I will be fine. I will be." She picked up a cup. "I just need...to fix this mess."

"What exactly is this mess?"

"I don't truly know," she confessed. "I only know what I saw, what I went through, what I gained and...what I lost."

"What were they? The things you saw."

"Smoke." She turned her head to look at her mother. "Fire. Bodies. The ground was blackened with his taint, dry and not usable for crops. Any tree that stood defiant of the world around it was charred and left with just enough trace of darkness that nothing, not even leaves, could grow. Those gnarled branches position in such a way they looked chained." Silvery tears began to fill her eyes. "The sky is always a molten gray, the clouds heavy and full to bursting with rain, but the drops do not dare fall onto such dark lands."

Regina stared at her with all attention, not sure what to say, not even able to imagine this world. She could have easily done this herself, so why was it so difficult to see? She could almost taste it moments ago, but not anymore. Why?

"In town square, there is a massive pile of bodies, all ash, left there like trophies in a case. They crumble at the touch." She lowered her eyes to the warm liquid in her cup. "You can see the look of fear on their faces. When you're in that place, you can hear their pained screams and you know that with every step, blood is seeping into the tread of your shoe." She didn't want to close her eyes. She didn't want to see it. "And you know that in that pile of corpses, someone you love dearly is lying there with a face consumed in fear. You know that they died to keep you safe." She covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders began to shake and she set the cup of tea down.

"Serah—"

"I'm sorry." She shook her head. "You told me to be strong, but I'm not. I try to be, but...then I look around here and see so many familiar faces. Some of these people are dead. Some of them died protecting us, protecting me."

"Being strong doesn't mean you don't get upset. Being strong is getting upset and using those emotions to your gain."

She knotted her fingers together. "Belle always says a quote by...someone—I don't remember who—but it goes: "Being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway". She says it to the us before every battle. I said it to myself before I was sent here."

"From what you can remember, tell me what happened."

"I was very young when he conquered us, and you guys keep me here, studying and training. When I was ten...I thought I could handle a true battle. I thought I had all the magic I needed, so I ran out in to a fight, unprepared. I got my ass handed to me, and I don't really remember it. You and Emma told me about it the next week when I woke up."

"I see." Regina averted her eyes. She wasn't able to keep Henry safe in that time, nor was she able to keep her daughter safe. Well, that future was just a pile of shit. That writer was such an asshole. She was trying to change, trying for a happy ending and for peace in the town, and he gives her a happy ending with apocalypse. Not only that, he was going to let her children be taken away from her in the worst way. Or maybe she was failing at keeping them safe.

"Don't blame yourself. I'm all right. Henry's all right. In fact, he loves his scars." She smiled reassuringly. "He tells tales of it to the kids. He wants them to...find glory once the battles are won and both sides have lost people. He's great with the kids, so is Anna. They're the dream team." They were really close, especially after **he** took Kristoff and...made him one of his own. The day Anna faced him in battle...Henry was there to help her with that last strike, to bring Kristoff peace. They had a bond that was so strong, and as time went on, Anna found her spirit again with Henry's help. They were protective of the kids and took time to make sure they understood small things—tying their shoes, making a tight bun with a crappy hair tie, asking Belle to repair an old but favorite book, teaching them to read and write—and let them know the little things were important. Anna was the closest person to Henry. Well, that wasn't blood. They were all family in that world, almost like this one. She had never had a friendship as good as Henry and Anna, but at least she got to see theirs. It was a great addition to her memories.

"He has scars?" Regina's voice was thin.

"Just a few. He's proud of them, just like you are of him. He's saved so many of us." Her smiled gleamed with pride. "If you could see him now...you wouldn't know what to say."

"Has he killed?"

"Only when he had no choice. He will bend over backward to find a way to not kill," she promised. "He's not cold. He's the same Henry, only with grown up and not as...lighthearted. He does make a lame joke now and again."

"What about you? Do _you_ have scars?"

"You have a scar," Serah changed the subject and lifted her hand to Mother's cheek, moving her index finger from her cheek to her jawline. "You got it by protecting me as a child. It makes you even more beautiful and...feared by the enemy. He gave you that scar, I'm told. You didn't flinch, didn't get infected, just punched back with a wave of light magic and took me home."

"Infected? What do you mean?"

She rose and buttoned the shirt she was wearing, and Regina narrowed her eyes. "I do have scars._ A_ scar." She slipped the shirt down her shoulders and her arms, and she removed her tank top, leaving her in a bra. She turned to let Regina see the black scar that ran from her shoulder blade down to her hip.

Regina slowly stood up, her hand reaching out toward the scar, but stopped short. It was exceedingly dark in hue, but not simply just black. The plump veins were purple inside of it, glowing almost with magic. Magic as dark as the curse that brought them here, if not more. It was in the strangest shape. It was curved, but triangular. It started small but as it neared her hip, the size of it expanded. She wanted to touch it, but she knew touch would make it worse. She didn't want to cause Serah any more pain.

"How?" Regina anxiously requested. "How did you get this?"

"When I was ten." She didn't turn to face her mother. "You and Emma had spent so many hours training me and my magic. I thought I was ready. I thought I knew enough to fight and be victorious. I was...wrong." She could picture that moment as plain as day, the fighting with Emma and Mom part. "I threw a fit, demanded to be treated equally, because all you did was baby me. I hated it. I was the top of my class, so why wasn't I good enough to fight in battle? But you left me behind, taking Henry and Roland and Mary Margaret to kill off the enemies that were tracking us."

"And then?"

"The minute you were out of the vault, I grabbed my sword and told Aurora to stay with the kids. My only next and last obstacle was Mulan—she kept watch most nights—and she wasn't fooled easily. I don't even know how I got by her. I guess I was meant to be marked that night," she murmured softly. "Once I was outside, I saw you were being attacked by him and a handful of his men. I used my magic and protected Mary Margaret from being lashed. I drew his attention—and yours—but before you could send me away, he isolated me and marked me."

"Marked?"

She spun around and began to put her shirts back on. "When he marks you, his darkness infects your body and consumes your heart and soul. You become his, your family and friends and whatever was before is erased. You're his pawn until your family strikes you down." She set her hand over her shoulder. "I'll never forget that pain, not in a million years. I'd sooner forget my name than that pain." She clenched her jaw. "At least no one else can get it. The infection only transmittable through him. I believe it's his own blood. If that monster even bleeds."

"How did you ever manage to halt the infection?"

"I didn't. You, Emma, Aurora, Henry, Anna, Belle, Snow and Mal worked through three nights to find a way to stop the progression of the infection. I was with you, under a spell that stopped my heart and the infection. It was something you and Mal cooked up. For me, you made it so it kept me alive, but on foes, you let them feel death, feel it slowly creep up and take them away. It was necessary to keep our home hidden and to keep an eye on **him**."

"Did what we come up with help?" Regina made a mental note to ask later how Anna came to be in their world again. She knew for a fact Emma and Snow and David had seen them out. Now was not the time. This was the time for learning about this infection.

"Yes. With Mal's knowledge on curses, Belle and Snow's knowledge of the local herbs, and Emma and Henry's relentless searching and Anna constantly checking in if they found anything new, you all managed to find a temporary cure."

"Temporary? It can still take you?"

"I hope to never find out."

"Is that what you ate earlier? Part of the cure?"

"Yes. It's a root that grows only at the end of days with pure light magic. It pushes the darkness back, and the root strengthens the flesh around the mark to shrink it and contain its growth. Unfortunately, I didn't pack enough—or any other than my emergency stash. I'll just have to use my magic and hope it works."

"No."

"No?" Serah brows furrowed. "But if I don't do this, I'll face a fate worse than death. How can you—?"

"It won't just be your magic," Regina informed her, cutting her off. "You'll have mine too."

She slowly smiled and hugged her. Regina was startled, but she didn't pull away. She let the girl—Serah. She let Serah hug her, and she rested her arms around her. She was so small, young, and...one of them. Regina wouldn't lose her to some asshole in the future. Or to some asshole that was going to take over their present. Or to anybody.

––

"All right. I'm here. I brought kale and root beer." Emma tossed the kale salad onto Regina's desk and lightly shook a bottle of root beer. She pulled the other out of her pocket.

Regina's brow twitched. "No, thank you, Ms. Swan. I'm busy at the moment, and I'd rather have lunch that you didn't steal from a rabbit."

"Well, can you at least open these? I thought they were twist-offs."

"What do you want me to do? Open them with my teeth?" Emma rolled her eyes and began to search her office. "I'm a Queen and a bit more refined."

"Oh, just a bit?" Emma muttered.

"I also have quite a good ear, Ms. Swan."

"So, how's Serah? I haven't seen her since I dropped her off at Belle's shop. It's been two days."

Regina lifted her eyes to the blonde's face. "She's resting." She was fighting the darkness inside the mark. Light magic only did so much in the face of such darkness. And as the darkness didn't yet exist in this time, they could only half halt it. Regina had lulled her to sleep with a cup of enchanted tea and let her rest in the vault. Henry was with her, working on trying to find a substitute for the root with Belle and Ruby. Serah called it deathroot, as it only grew with the world and its people were dying.

"So, you're trusting her now?" Emma tried another drawer.

"I'm only doing what's best for Henry and us."

"Don't be such a grouch. I can see you're attached to her."

"I'm more attached to these stilettos."

"What're you doing anyway? I thought you were done looking for the writer." Emma gave up and just conjured a bottle opener. "Did you find a hint or another page?"

"No. I've found nothing. It has been days, and I've found nothing. I could have conquered wholes realms by now. This man has no intention of being found." She shut the book.

"What about Robin?" She set the bottle of root beer down in front of her. "Has he called?"

She shook her head. "No."

"I'm sure he's just lost in the city, trying to curb his thieving tendencies."

"Did you come here with the sole purpose of bothering me, or was there a point?" She tapped her fingernails against the storybook, brow arched.

"Why are you in such a bad mood? Aside from the arrival of your daughter, the news of our impending dark future and Robin's departure."

"Did you even hear that question?" She rose from her seat. "If you'll excuse me, Ms. Swan, I have business to attend to."

"What business?"

"Private business." She picked up the storybook and flitted out of her office.

Emma leaned against the desk and took a drink of her root beer. Regina cared for Serah, because that was who Regina was. Emma knew Regina knew Serah was her daughter. Even though she didn't remember giving birth, even though this Regina right now wasn't there to sooth every fever, endure every tantrum, change every diaper, she knew in her heart Serah was her daughter. Regina would protect her to her last breath, just like she has and always would with Henry. When Regina would stop trying to cover up her affection, Emma couldn't say. At least Regina was acknowledging Serah. That was the most important part.


	7. Bad Blood

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

"When he came into power," Serah enunciated to Regina, "all the walls came down. Everything that separated the worlds crumbled, and every living person and thing collided. Naturally when beasts and people of magic came to this world with their gifts evident, a war broke out. Within days, the world was colored with blood and magic and fallen cities. There was nowhere safe for anybody, not even here." Serah saw the emotions and thoughts swirling in her mother's eyes. "When the war was ultimately over, so few people of magic and of this land survived. And to make matters worse, just when both sides wanted to stop this war, **he** came to us, attacking, feeding, tainting. The war they had fought had only fed and strengthened him. We lost so many people, to both death and infection."

"How did he have that much power? To dissolve the walls around our worlds?" Regina had two fingers to her temple, shaking her head, perplexed and inundated by this knowledge. "How long had he been planning this?"

"I don't know. No one knew. He just is the most formidable dark being to have ever existed, according to Belle." She pulled her cup of chocolate closer, wanting another of the deliciously cold beverage. "We don't know his origin or what he is, just that he only wants to consume everything." She swallowed a big gulp of her drink and noted, "With the walls gone, Anna and Elsa and Maleficent and the others found us. That's how I know them."

"What else do you remember?" Regina drank from her cup of coffee.

"Umm..." She moved hair out of her face, scraping the back of the memories for any information. "Just...wings. I rememeber hearing wings all the time when I would go on watch with Snow or Urs."

"Who's Urs?"

"Ursula."

"The sea bitch." Regina smirked, unable to believe that. "And we all lived in my vault? Every day? For fifteen years? We didn't kill each other?"

"There were a lot of fights, but our numbers kept decreasing every day. All we had was each other. No villain wants to bow down to another villain. We weren't family at first, but we grew to something like that. And if they couldn't, we made spells to forgot past violence and hate. We needed each other." She pursed her lips. "Ursula and Maleficent saw what he did to Cruella and Bo and Sidney. He has no honor, no respect, no mercy, even for his own people. He annihilated everything in sight, and he polluted what remained. They saw that and would not have him."

She nodded. "Eat your breakfast."

"What is it?" She looked down at the plate of flat...bread with some butter and perhaps a serum of some kind.

"They're pancakes." Regina saw the bemusement in the girl's eyes. "You've never had pancakes."

"I've read of them, but no, I've never personally had them. At least if I have, I don't remember them." She picked up a fork, cutting a glance to another couple who were eating the things too and seeing how they went about it. She mirrored them. "Could I ask you something?"

"It seems only fair. I've been asking you questions all morning."

"What was he like?"

"He...?" Regina saw the answer in her eyes. "Robin, you mean?"

"Yes, Robin."

"Why? Wouldn't you know that?"

She hesitated then smiled a little. "I just—Before the war, I mean. What was he like? Clearly, I know what he's like post-war, but I was curious about before." She brought a slice of pancake to her lips, scolding herself for being so blatantly ridiculous, and she chewed on the sweet, buttery bite.

"Well, to be honest, I'd rather not talk about him. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." She set the fork down. "Is there a bathroom?"

"It's to down the hall," she pointed behind her, "to the left."

"Thanks." She followed the directions and locked the door behind her. She pressed her back against the solid wood and covered her face with her hands. She had hoped her mom would talk about her dad. He was one of the first few people to be killed. She was grateful. Dead was better. Having him try to kill them, forcing her or Emma or Mom to kill him, would have been downright horrifying. He was at peace, resting, with his son. She shouldn't have brought him up. Mom might figure it out. She didn't want her to know that. Out of every loss, Robin and Roland took a greater toll on her and Mom.

Lowering her hands, she pushed off the door and walked over to the sink. She flicked on the water and wet her hands, splashing water onto her face. She was feeling incredibly drained lately. She had no appetite, and she was always in pain. She could mask it well, but sooner or later, they would notice. She wasn't sure how she was going to get rid of those pancakes, but she had an idea.

Drying her hands and face, she started back to the booth. She came to a sudden standstill at the sound of hushed whispering. The voice wasn't coming from the diner or from behind her; it was in her head. There was whispering in her head. It wasn't a voice she knew, and it echoed. She couldn't really make out the words, but chills ran down her spine. Her breathing gradually increased, the world was starting tilt, and she fell back against the wall behind her. What the hell? Whose voice was this? What was it trying to say?

It? Oh, no! This was him. He was in her head right now. He was reaching through time to try and get her to turn. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. She had enough magic to contain the darkness. She had been using a large amount of light magic on her back it was starting to affect her mom. Thinking of that, she really needed to talk to Mom and tell her about what happened just before the spell was cast to send her back in time. She couldn't keep it a secret for much longer, especially with how much magic she was using and how it was affecting her. And especially if **he** was in her head.

_All right,_ she chastised herself. _Calm the hell down. _She shook her head and sucked in a long breath, releasing it and pushing herself forward. She returned to the booth. "I have a question."

"And that would be?" Regina was amused by the look on her face.

"Could we hold a meeting in your office? Tell the others what I've told you? They need to know, and we need to keep searching. Having Belle tend to me and trying to find deathroot is wasting time we may not have. We need to be searching and researching."

"Serah, if you die tonight because of this infection, we'll be even more lost. We need you alive," Regina dictated, "for whatever information you can tell us. You may remember more."

"It's my life," she remonstrated. "If I die tonight then you'll have all the information I told you! I don't know anything more! I was born in the darkness! I don't know what it was like prior to the wall falling! Or while he was taking over the land! I was brought here to help you and everyone avoid your future, which I may no longer be a part of, so don't tell me to keep fighting because you want me to remember! I _am_ remembering every gory details of my life and of him and of my corrupt home!" She shot out of the booth. "And if that's not good enough, you can always take the memories from my mind when I'm dead." She sped out of the diner, not entirely sure where she was going, just knowing that she needed to get away. She needed air.

She shuffled her way unknowingly to the woods, and when she arrived in the middle of a clearing, she collapsed on soft grass. She combed her hands through her hair, rubbing her temple with her thumbs, gently rocking herself. She was trying to clear her mind, to rest and hope the searing pangs eased up. She refused to use any more light magic for today, therefore she had to find a way to dull the pain that didn't involve magic. She could do this. She mediated all the time and that brought control over her magic as a child, surely it could help her control the intensity of the pain. She was stronger than she knew, and she could do this. She had to do this.

She drew in a deep breathe, as deep as her lungs would allow, trying to find an inner peace, but she could practically _see_ the magic behind those thick, purple veins pulsating and extending across her back. It was growing, consuming away what was her, and she knew it. Eventually there wouldn't be anything left but a hollow shell of darkness, longing for blood and destruction with no master. She would tear this town apart looking for him, wouldn't she? She would bring about the end of the world.

She inhaled and exhaled, her body quivering, groaning at the agonizing waves of white hot throbbing that licked up and down her back. She pressed her thumbs into her temple, feeling lightheaded. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus, tried to think of something—anything—to take her mind off this pain. She couldn't find a single memory, and she lowered her hand to the enchanted swan necklace, and the metal tapped against the band of her ring.

"_Keep her still!" a familiar voice called out to her, laughing happily._

"_I'm trying!" Henry insisted. "She's faster than she looks."_

_Emma jumped out of her hiding place and scooped up the wandering toddler. "I told you we'd regret teaching her to walk." She sat down and placed the kid in her lap. "Henry, go tell Grandma, Grandpa, Neal, Killian, Belle, Marian and Roland. It's time."_

_He nodded. "I'll be right back."_

"_We're not going anywhere." Regina adjusted the angle of the camera and paused for a moment to see that little smile spread over her daughter's face. She could see so much of Robin inside of her, and even though he was no longer with them, a part of him was immortalized in their daughter. She wasn't able to save Robin, but she would always save her. She would never be too late when it came to her daughter and son, when it came to any of them._

_Emma noticed the hint of tears in Regina's eyes, the sorrow. "Hey, are you okay?"_

"_No, but I will be. When this is over, I will be."_

"_We'll get through this. We always do. This time is just taking a little longer. In a few weeks, we'll have his ass kicked and buried and trying to figure out how in the hell we're going to fix your apple tree."_

"_Well, for now all I can do is once again remind you to watch your language." Regina glared lightly, more playfully than reprimanding._

"_Sorry." She shrugged and looked down at the girl on her lap. If they were lucky, the worst thing she'd have to do was say a cuss word. Emma smoothed her hair down and offered Regina a smile. "I'm sure she ignores me too." Regina smirked. "Just like Mommy, don't you?" Emma tickled toddler and laughed at the little giggle she gave. This kid brought so much light into their dark world, and Emma would never let that flame flicker out. Hers or Henry's._

_Henry returned with the others for their immediate family picture. It was about Christmastime, though it never snowed or even rained, but they wanted to have some tradition. They wanted something to look forward to at the end of another year in this world. Regina had been through a rough year, and Emma tried her best to be there for her, but Regina always pulled away. Belle and Mom spent a lot of their time with the little bundle of trouble who was accidentally using magic here and there. Henry and Emma took her from time to time every day when they weren't training or making the rounds. She was Regina's baby, but all of theirs at the same time. She had so many mothers and fathers and was very loved. They hoped that meant the darkness, the evil that lurked outside, couldn't touch her. Wouldn't be able to touch her. Or Neal, or Roland, or Henry, or any of their kids._

_When the pictures were taken, Emma and Mary Margaret went to help Ruby and Belle with dinner. Mulan and David went on watch, and Henry joined his uncle and brother to help set the table. Regina held her daughter tight in her arms and looked over the pictures from last year. It was so difficult to see pictures of him and her. There weren't many, and now there wouldn't be a single new picture ever again. She was grateful to have the few of Robin reading to her or accidentally falling asleep with her and Roland. Every day she missed him, mourned him, but only a little every day. She had so much to do, and she couldn't let herself be overcome by emotions. Emotions were distractions and in this world, distractions got you killed. Or worse._

_Regina looked at the two year old in her arms and smoothed her hair back, feeling a smile cross her lips and the warmth of hope filling her heart. She kissed her temple and cuddled her daughter closer. The most important people in her lives now were her family, her children, and she wouldn't disappear on them. She would do whatever she had to to keep them safe. Whatever it took._

–––

"She hasn't come home yet." Regina was pacing, trying to calm her heart. She didn't know what to think. She certainly wasn't sure what she was feeling. Alarmed. Terrified. Her insides a macramé of knots. She wasn't sure if she felt that way because Serah was the only one who could help them, and she might have died and turned to nothingness somewhere in town, or if she felt this way because...

"Where is she?" Regina huffed.

"Calm down. She's just a kid. A _teenager._ She probably took off to blow off some steam and will be back soon. Until then we have David and Hook looking for her in the woods, and Mom and I will check around town with Ruby." Emma zipped up her coat. "Go check your office and vault." Regina moved toward the door, and Emma grabbed her arm. "Don't worry. We'll find her. Or she'll find us."

"I know." It wasn't finding her that had Regina worried. It was _how_ they found her. If she was still alive, or if she was... "Let's just find her quickly."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? Henry's already with Mom, so he can go with her."

"I'm not a child. I can go alone."

"Even an adult needs someone sometimes."

"Just find Serah, Emma." She walked out.

"Regina." Emma went after her. "What's your deal?"

"What?" Regina whirled around.

"Do you even care that she's gone missing, or do you only care because of our future?" Emma demanded. "I'm not letting you leave until you answer me."

_"Letting_ me?" Regina scoffed.

"Yes." Emma moved closer, eyes locked on her. "I want an answer, and we're not leaving until I have one, so talk."

"Why does it matter? You're only wasting time she may not have, Ms. Swan."

"Oh, cut the 'Ms. Swan' crap," Emma snapped. "My dad and Hook are out there looking for her, and so are my mom and Henry with Ruby. I'm sure they'll find her. Quit stalling and answer me."

"Yes, I want to prevent our future from turning out as it has. I would think you would too. After all, from the sound of it, you lose a hell of a lot."

Emma didn't let that phase her. "How can you stand there and lie?"

"Lie? You think I'm lying? I'm not. I want to stop this town from being dragged into darkness! I want to prevent Henry from ever having to kill anybody! I want to find whoever did this and stop them! That is no lie!" Regina shouted.

"I didn't say _those_ were the lies."

"What do you want me to say?" Regina closed the space between them. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to admit that you do care about her."

"Why? Will that make you _feel_ better?"

"She's just a kid, Regina! She grew up in an unimaginable world with her family dying on her all the time! She had to grow up too fast, and she is struggling. And to make it worse, she wasn't even sent back because she was powerful or most intelligent or their first choice!" She searched Regina's eyes. "She has a burden to bear that no one should ever bear. Unlike mine, hers could literally erase herself from time! Regina, do you know rigorous and nerve-wracking this must be on her? She could be making it so she _never_ exists. You do know that, don't you?"

A beat.

"Of course I know that," Regina whispered, her eyes guarded, voice thick. "I knew almost immediately."

"Then why are you acting like all that matters is fixing the future? It is important, I get that, but so is Serah. These might be the last days of her life. You're her mother, and she loves you, looks up to you. You're all she has, Regina, and you could stand to be a little more supportive."

"What makes you think I'm not?"

Emma flashed Regina _I know you well_ face and stepped back. "I'll go look for her with Mom and Henry."

"How do you know she wasn't their first choice?" Regina called.

"Talk to Belle. She can explain it better than I can." Emma unlocked her car and felt her phone vibrating. She dug it out of her pocket and saw it was text from Henry. She sagged against her car, and Regina noticed.

"What is it?" Regina stepped toward her.

"They found her."

"And?" Regina could hear how much she didn't want the answer in her voice.

"I'll drive," was all Emma said.

They took Emma's car, and Regina tried to read Emma, but she couldn't. Emma kept her eyes on the road and didn't give anything away. Regina was worried. What could have possibly happened to her? If she was dead, they would heading toward the hospital, but they were going toward Granny's. Why were they going to Granny's if Emma had looked so defeated, so ashen just a moment ago? Serah was fine, so Emma was probably trying to teach her some lesson. They were two different people, and just because Regina didn't stalk the girl didn't mean she didn't care. If Regina got emotional every time something happened, this town would already have gone to hell a lot sooner.

When they arrived at Granny's, Emma hurried to the rooms upstairs and Regina followed at less speedy pace. Emma found Henry and Mary Margaret in the first room to the left with Serah on the bed. She was terrifyingly pale but still alive. Emma hugged Henry and gave a smile to her mom.

"We let David and Killian know we found her." Mary Margaret adjusted the pillow under the child's head. "Ruby went to get Belle and something for her to drink."

Emma nodded. "How was she when you found her?" She sat down on the bed.

"Unconscious." Henry frowned, brows furrowed. "She hasn't come to yet, and she's as cold as ice."

"Well, let's get her some thick blankets and some pillows." Emma gripped her hand. "Mom, could you call Dr. Whale? I don't want to move her, but she needs to see a doctor."

"Sure. Come on, Henry." She escorted him out to call Whale and get those blankets and pillow.

Regina saw Henry and Snow leave the room. "How is she?" She pulled her hands from her pockets.

"Not good." Snow squeezed Henry's shoulders. "Go get what Emma asked for. I'll be down in a minute."

"All right." Henry headed downstairs.

"She's not responding to anything," Mary Margaret kept her voice low, not wanting Henry to accidentally overhear what she was going to say. "I think she's dying, and I don't think that's our biggest issue. She has this hideous scar on her back, and...when I touched it..." She rubbed her arms to keep away the cold. "I could feel it, Regina."

"Feel it?" Regina's face scrunched. "Feel what?"

"Darkness is the only word I think of to describe what I felt." She looked mortified. "We have to help her. I know a few natural remedies that might help, but I don't know for how long. Could you and Emma do something? Maybe magic will help."

Regina shook her head and began to explain how Serah was marked.

––

Emma watched her son and mother leave the room and tucked hair behind her ear, eyes on the colorless face of Serah. Emma felt for this girl. They were so similar it was almost ironic. They were born in a world that was going dark. They were both picked for a job they didn't fully understand the weight of in the beginning. They were both born with highly powerful magicks and wanted to do their best, especially if it was for someone else's sake. They were similar. Princesses to thrones they would never see, expected to do so much with so little instruction, and they both had their mother's chins.

She was just a kid, and Emma knew she understood all of it. She was going to stop the world from becoming a wasteland at perhaps the cost of her own existence. She was doing it willingly and almost happily for all of their lives to continue smoothly. She loved them all so much, and they may never get the chance to love her at all. It broke Emma's heart. They had to do more than just stop this asshole villain from taking over. She had to do more than just stop him. Serah deserved a chance to live, a chance at a happy ending. She had no idea how to make that happen, but she would. If Serah was a piece of Regina's happy ending then Emma had no choice. She was brought here to deliver happy endings, and that included Regina's and now this girl's.

She reached over and moved the hair from her face and set her hand on her forehead, even that was cold. It wasn't like Marian getting frozen. It was something else entirely, but she didn't know what. They had to warm her up and hope she came to. If not, they would have to put her in the hospital and work out what happened in their future with the book future Belle gave her to give to past Belle. That, and whatever she told Regina previous to storming out of the diner. The villains haven't won yet, and they weren't going to start winning.

"Hang in there, kid," Emma commanded her. "We'll fix this." She squeezed her hand and placed it back on her stomach. She needed to call Belle. They made plans to talk later, and later was now. She rose and turned to find Regina in the doorway. "Well, it took you long enough."

"I was talking to your mother," Regina informed her, choosing to brush off Emma's tone. "She wanted to know about Serah's scar."

"Scar?" Emma frowned. "What scar?"

"The one on her back. She was marked by who- or whatever takes over the town. She told me it was infected and killing her slowly. She needs light magic and a type of root that doesn't grow in our time to halt its growth. She's been without for a few days now. I believe that's why she's unconscious." Regina stepped towards the bed. "I thought...she was doing better, but as we can see, she was only getting better at hiding it from me."

"Well, we can do something. We have light magic, and I'm sure there's some sort of substitute we could use for the root."

She shook her head. "I had Belle and Henry look, but they found nothing that helped, not even the root it might have mutated off of."

"Well, I don't think that's it." Emma was determined. "There's always another option."

"If you want to tear down Storybrooke to try and find a substitute, be my guest. You won't find one." She wrapped her arms around her herself, eyes cast downward and her teeth clenched. She was beyond frustrated at the entire situation. She could do just about anything but bring back the dead and find this writer, so why the hell couldn't she help Serah? There was always a way with magic, Emma had that right. How could it be so useless to them now? When they needed magic the most, it was failing them. Why? In all of her books, in all of her training, there had always been some solution up until now.

"I won't tear down Storybrooke. There's enough destroying property value as it is." Emma locked eyes with Regina. "I'm not giving up on her. I'm going to talk to Belle."

"I already told you—"

"Screw that! If some book Serah brought back from the future could help us find this asshole who wants to destroy the world then it has to help us help her."

"Why does it have to?" Regina's brown eyes glossed over with dejection. "You said yourself she wasn't their first choice. She wasn't picked because of anything special, so why would they try and help her survive? Maybe we got to the point where we could only save ourselves."

"I refuse to believe we could be so selfish."

"Perhaps we're more desperate than you think." Regina's eyes drifted to the face of her daughter.

"Regina, we sent her back, because we loved her too much to lose her," Emma corrected. "Belle wrote that they couldn't—wouldn't—watch her die and turn into one of his henchmen. I didn't understand that then, but they mentioned an infection, so it's her scar. It's infecting her, trying to turn her, right?" Regina nodded. "They sent her, because of love, not because she was something to be used as a warning! As some preview of our future! I won't let her be used like that. I am going to find Belle and see if there's something in that book that can help Serah." She stormed out of the room, stopping Henry and her mom and giving them some instructions. If she didn't get back in time, at least Serah wouldn't be alone in the end.

"Dr. Whale will be here soon." Snow propped Serah up with pillow and tucked the blankets around her.

"If you have to watch Neal, I'll stay with her." Henry made himself comfortable on the bed. "I don't mind to."

"Well, I'll just go and check on him. If you need anything, just call. I'll come back."

"Do I no longer exist?" Regina asked no one, eyes squinted. "I'll be here if Henry needs anything. Or if Serah needs anything."

"I didn't say you wouldn't be here," Mary Margaret replied. "But are you?"

"Was there some memo faxed to everyone that stated I don't give a damn about anybody today?"

"Mom," Henry softly interrupted before a fight broke out. "It's okay. You don't have to be here, and I can always call if I need either of you."

"Well, I'm not leaving, and not staying simply because you all assume I _just_ want answers."

"No one assumes you just want anything. You just haven't been very warm to her is all." Snow shrugged a shoulder. "It's difficult, I understand, but—"

"I don't need your advice, nor do I want it. I'll stay. Maybe Whale can help." Most likely not, but he might be able to ease her pain. Until then Regina would. She removed her coat as Mary Margaret and Henry exchanged a look before she ducked out, and Regina sat down in a chair beside the bed.

"Mom, no one thinks you don't care." Henry faced her. "I know you care."

Regina clasped Serah's hand in her own. "You're the only one." She began to use magic to ease any pain Serah was in, and she glanced at her son. "I care more about avoiding this future, that's true, but...I would give anything to not see her in pain," she disclosed.

"I know." He pressed his lips together then grabbed his bag and dug through it. "I...kind of borrow some of Belle's book."

"What?"

He pulled out a folder. "I copied some of the pages when she went to get coffee." He gave a small smile in hopes she wouldn't be mad. "I haven't read all of them, just one or two."

"Henry." She accepted the folder and smiled. "This was brilliant."

He grinned. "Really? You're not mad?"

"Why would I be?" She opened it and looked over the words. "How many pages did you get?"

"About twenty or so."

"And she just got coffee?"

"From Granny's. I...may have broken her coffee maker."

"At least she'll be able to sleep at night." Regina divided the pages and handed him half. "What have you learned so far?"

"Do you want to know the good or the bad?"

"There's good?"

"Not really. I try to find something good on each page. Like Belle learned some poisons can be stopped by removing the infected limb."

"Give me those." She held her hand out, and he handed the pages back to her. "And go see what's taking Ruby so long."

"Okay." He rose off the bed and went searching for Ruby.

Regina began to read the copied pages, learning this darkness was more than they were prepared for, and Belle's handwriting slowly turned to shit. As she read the few pages out of the entire book Belle had in her pawn shop, she could almost narrow the date of when this person arrived to the day they rose in power. She just needed a few more entries. There were something in the text that was...reaching out to her, almost as if it were beckoning her. She needed to see this book in person. She needed to be able to feel it and smell it, possibly even _hear_ it. There was magic in this book that was meant for Regina or Emma. No, it was meant for Regina _and_ Emma. In that time, there was no or, just an us, a them. It would appear Emma and Regina were a unit in the future, bonded by more than just a word. What brought them so close? She probably wouldn't like the answer. It was mostly likely death. Perhaps Robin's. Perhaps Captain Guyliner's. She didn't want to know.

Regina heard an agonized whimper escape through Serah's lips, and Regina clutched Serah's hand in both of hers. She held it tightly, protectively, almost having to force healing magic into her, to ease her suffering. The darkness in the scar was fighting her magic, but as long as Regina was there, she wouldn't let that pain, that darkness, win. "Hold on," Regina softly ordered, "Whale will be here soon then Emma and I will fix this. We'll fix all of this. I swear to you...we will make everything right." She could only hope that medicine actually helped her pain.


	8. Why Me?

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

_"We have all we need now," Belle notified Regina and Emma, who were currently on watch. "And the kids are asleep now, so you have some time to talk about it, make your decision. Let me know when you're ready." She headed back down to her room, stopping when she saw the door to the kids' room was open. She peered inside, seeing the girls passed out in their beds. She was worried about the decision Regina and Emma would make. She knew her voice wouldn't matter, but she would still fight if Regina chose her daughter. She would fight for one more day, to let them **really** think this through, and to give her more time. This journal she was sending back was crucial. If she didn't do it exactly right, this was all for naught._

_She entered the room and pulled the covers over young girl who slept like cave bear sometimes, and she swiped hair out of her face. However, she would do beautifully here and there, and her scar would be tame. She would be out of danger, and maybe that's all that mattered. This book could provide them with every answer if done properly, so she wouldn't have to do much. They would make this work. She could make this work. Belle only needed a few more hours. If they weren't all dead come noon, this plan might actually work. Who needed sleep anyway? Maybe she should take Regina up on the offer of a French press. At least, he wasn't bothering her. He was doing his part, giving her the space she needed, and everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as it could get now._

_Emma studied Regina, her sword was lying across her legs and her arms were crossed. She had cleaned her sword, her gun and had stretched her body so if they had to chase someone, she wouldn't get a muscle cramp. She was ready for any kind of fight, expect the one she was about to start with Regina. Shit, she should have practiced a hope-filled speech and channeled her mother. The deep breathe she gather to ready herself for her fight caught in her throat. No, she wasn't ready to do that yet. It still killed her. _

_"It's that time."_

_"So it seems."_

_"We know what we have to do, what we'll lose and who we'll send."_

_"Oh, do we? **Do** we know who we'll send?" Regina eyed Emma._

_"Regina, we have to."_

_"No. No, we **don't**. We have many other options, better options!" Regina propounded, a hand gesturing toward their home. "I can name ten right off the top of my head."_

_Emma stood up. "Yeah, but—"_

_"She's just a **child**!" Regina interrupted. "She has no idea what's out there! Yes, she has been in battles, and yes, she is resourceful and an avid learner and quite capable of convincing people to do something and believe something, but my answer is and always will be **no**."_

_"Regina, this isn't just about **us**! Or even **her**! There aren't a lot of us left, and having her here with us now would be a profit, would keep so many of us safe, but we can't think about our safety right now. We have to think about our future. And our past. It has to be her, and even though she's not our best and brightest, it has to be her." Emma swallowed hard. "I've already lost my mom and dad and a man I loved wholeheartedly to **him.** I've seen so many of our family fall in battle, and I won't—I **won't** let her fall and turn like Robin and Killian and Ruby! I won't! I—can't. If we have to not only lose her but..." She held back tears, fists balled. "She's your daughter, but I've been there too. I've changed diapers, eased stomach aches, chased off nightmares and trained her. I've watched and helped her grow into the young woman she is now, and she's a piece of me. I love her as much as I love Henry. She's like a daughter to me."_

_Regina cast away her gaze. "Emma—"_

_"Belle's taught her since she was a baby. She taught her our history and the history of magic. She's given Belle so much when Belle had nothing." Emma's voice was shaky. "Henry's trained her with a sword since she could hold one. She's given Henry such joy on those dark days. And Marian! Marian taught her how to use and locate medicinal herbs. You know how attached Marian was to her after she lost Roland. She gave Marian a reason to keep on fighting. Do you know what our lives would be like without her? When we were all breaking, that little girl helped put us back together! You can say she's your daughter—that's very true—but you can never say she isn't ours too. She's the only child that was born in the darkness that survived. That wasn't for nothing. She was born for this, like I was born to be the Savior. It's her fate, Regina."_

_"How can I send her back there alone?" Regina countered. "She's impulsive and reckless sometimes. She's—pigheaded and—"_

_"You," Emma cut in. "She's you, and you'll recognize that. And I know I'll see she's telling the truth. My superpower and all. And Henry will know in his heart—the heart of the true believer—and that'll convince you too."_

_"I don't know," was all she could say._

_"How can you send her back alone?" Emma approached her. "Because if you don't...we'll all die. Do you want to be the last man standing against him?" She tilted her head to look directly at Regina's face, hidden by a shadow. "Regina, I have your back no matter what, but if you say no to this, I don't think I can follow. I get that you want to protect her—so do I—but...this. This is how we protect **everyone**."_

_"What if it doesn't work? What if this only escalates things?" Regina searched her eyes. "She's infected by him, so what if the time we send her back to only causes her infection to rapidly spread and seek him out?"_

_"Then we give her a reason to keep fighting." Emma touched her shoulder. "We give her our strength. We haven't been researching for months just for nothing. We've been looking for this spell and usable substitutes, and we probably found a way to give her our strength somewhere along the time. We'll find a way to ensure she can find strength at any time. She's one of us, and we always fight like hell to save our family—and everyone else. She's a fighter, just like you."_

_Regina smiled softly at Emma then slowly her mind began to fill with ideas. "I have an plan." She turned and hurried back into the building. "Mulan, I need you to cover my shift, please."_

_"Sure." She nodded and rose, giving Aurora a nod before heading out._

_Regina found Belle in the back, preparing some thick leather book, and Regina sat across from her. "I need your help."_

_"With what?" Belle lifted her eyes._

_"Tomorrow afternoon, we're sending my daughter back in time, and I want her to be prepared. I want her to not only have her magic, but mine as well."_

_Belle blinked, stunned, and she shook her head slightly. "You...what?"_

_"We already know that when this spell is performed, my life and heart will fade and whatever remains will be collected in the wind. My magic will fade as well, but instead I want to give it to her. It may help her when she goes back. It might help past me to recognize her. Magic always recognizes magic, so I know it'll help."_

_"All right. That makes sense." She nodded. "How do we even begin to do that?"_

_"I was hoping you knew."_

_Belle pursed her lips for a moment, lost in thought. "Perhaps. There may be something in the back. Give me a minute."_

_Regina waited as Belle looked over the many books they had in the back, but sadly only a few pertained to what Regina was looking for. Belle had to finish this journal, so Regina would be researching alone. She would find what she was looking for. Regina was relentless, and they still had time. Regina was going to spend the last few hours of her life...saving all of their lives, just like Belle. Well, she didn't know when her time would come, but at this rate, it would be any day now. She would die protecting them. That's why she had to get this right._

_"Here you are." She set the few tombs down on the table. "I know that's not a lot, but that can be considered a good thing. You have less books to search through, and you'll get your answer quickly. I hope you find what you're looking for."_

_"Thank you. I hope you finish whatever has kept you busy for the past month." Regina accepted the books._

_Belle smiled a little then returned to her work, and Regina made her way to a private room, which was damn near impossible to come by these days. She nestled herself in a room and flipped through the first of the book—the biggest as well. She hated leaving her to fight on her own, but Emma was right. This was for the best. Henry would be the best choice, perhaps the second and third would be Belle and Anna. They couldn't risk sending Emma or Mulan or Belle or Marian. They were the most important people here, because of magic and strength and healing. They were the most needed, and the others weren't the best fighters, but they looked after the few kids that remained. They would be needed when the spell was cast, because he would know and he would come. They had to get her through safely. This spell would take her life, strip Emma of her light magic which was given to her as the product of the true love, take Mulan's courage and Rumpelstiltskin's brain. They didn't know how it would influence them, but Mulan still would protect them. As for Rumpelstiltskin, he was already lost to their enemy, barely who he was._

_That wasn't the point. The point was out of everybody they lost, they found a way to keep going. They always found a way. If they had to watch her die...then wait for her to turn... If they had to see her eyes open and reveal that dark, fiery orange against black that seemed to pour out in a mist; her skin pale with black veins visible and throbbing with darkness that longed to be fed with blood. They would lose all hope, all fight. They had lost so many that funeral were impossible, mourning was impossible. They just had to wake up, defend those who remained, eat and sleep then rinse and repeat. They were falling apart inside, and this spell was their last chance. They couldn't keep keeping on. It had been so interminable, and this war had to come to an end. This would work. Regina knew how strong her daughter was, and she knew she could and would succeed._

_"Hey." Emma strolled into the room. "There you are. I was about to send out a search party." She smirked a little and sat down on the chaise, moving aside books. "What's with all these books?" She looked over the titles._

_"It's nothing."_

_"It's something. You have that determination face on." Emma met her eyes. "Care to share?"_

_"Actually, I'd prefer to work alone."_

_"Oh." She slowly nodded. "All right. I'll be in my room then. If you need help, just...call."_

_"Just because tonight's my last night here doesn't mean you have to shadow me to make sure I'm fine."_

_"Well, it was me or Henry, and he lost."_

_"Is Henry awake?"_

_"As if he could sleep. He's trying to trade shifts with Cruella, but it's not going well." She shrugged a shoulder. "Do you want me to send him in here?"_

_"Yes, I would. Thank you, Emma."_

_She smiled. "It's the least I can do." She headed out and called to Henry, telling him Regina wanted him, and then she walked to her bedroom. She shared a room with Cruella and Belle and Mulan. They all had different shifts so mostly they never saw each other. She walked over to her bed and dropped onto the worn mattress, exhaling a sound of pure exhaustion. She rolled onto her back and felt tears building in her eyes._

_She wasn't going to do this. She wasn't going to do this. She made a plan, and this wasn't it! Damn it! She covered her eyes with the heels of her hands. Tomorrow was going to a horrible day. She was losing two people she loved very much, one maybe forever. She thought it would be all right. In a day or two, this world be erased, but it wasn't all right. She wasn't all right. How could she ever have thought it would all be okay? She felt a coldness in the pit of her stomach that was slowing creeping up on her, and she couldn't breathe. The pain was too great to swallow; instead she could feel it swallowing her._

_She remembered the day Robin died. Regina went on a rampage, destroying every enemy in sight and then Robin himself when he came back to them. Emma wanted to be the one to do it, to spare Regina from that, but Regina insisted. Regina then went out scouting and hunting every night. She would be gone for days sometimes, and it terrified Henry and Emma both. Emma tried to talk her out of going on the hunt each night, but Regina was unyielding. She would not lose another person to him. Emma didn't understand her urgency until the day they were fighting—Regina, Emma, Killian, Mom and Ruby. It happened so fast like darkness swallowing this land, and it was so loud like a whip cracking the air, and then it was over. Killian was on the ground, choking in blood, **his** mark burned across his chest. Emma had no time with him. He was just gone and then he came back. She would never forget his eyes—they haunted her dreams—and to be honest, she wasn't entirely sure Killian wasn't just below the surface, watching her, pleading for her to help him. She did help him. She killed him, made it as painless as possible, and then she joined Regina on those scouting missions. That day, Emma felt the worst of pain. It was beyond heartbreak, beyond fury and beyond help. She had never thought she would feel a pain as intense as the pain she felt that day._

_She had been so wrong. The pain she felt when it was her parents who died... It still tore into her, like a dagger with their names etched on to the blade, their last expression playing in her mind again and again on a loop. She would never forget that pain, or them. To lose them, one after another...after another, made it seem so unreal. She was in denial for so long before she joined Regina. She still half-expected her mom to barge in and ask her for something. Or for her dad to ask her to spar. Or for Killian to walk in with that adorably sweet yet smug smile, call her 'Swan' or 'love' and drag her out to play games with the kids. They never came, only the pain came. For far too long, only an endless stream of dismay came to her and she lost the fight so many times._

_Then, one day, Henry came to her and reminded her she wasn't fighting alone. The next day, that 'brown-eyed lass' came to her and gave her a hug and some soup. They took turns, occasionally Regina would stop by and Belle. Belle told her that all that made him Killian was gone; he was just empty, a puppet. It was comforting, but so difficult to wrap her mind around—all of his years alive, all of his memories and all his regrets were just gone in one second. Emma made it out of bed. She stopped wearing Killian's jacket like a lifeline and she found her fight again. She vowed to never let herself feel that way and shut down like that again. She could only keep one of those vows, it seemed. She wouldn't shut down, but she couldn't not feel this._

_––_

_"I want to give your sister my power," Regina finished explaining. "However I don't know how, so I'm researching a way. Would you lend me a hand?"_

_"Of course." Henry sat down and grabbed a book. "We have all night and morning."_

_"I hope you like coffee."_

_Henry looked at his mom. "This is our last night together."_

_"Henry, please, it's not our last night together."_

_"Yes, it is, and that's a good thing. Tomorrow, or a day or a week or a month after...I won't be me, and you won't be you." He smiled a very small smile. "It'll be good. None of this will ever exist."_

_"I'll miss the bonds we've built." Regina thumbed through the table of content. "We never would have come together like this without such a worthy villain to unite us."_

_"True, but maybe we can be like this in our new future. You never know."_

_"You're so full of hope, even now." Regina's brows creased. "How do you do that?"_

_"Because I know if I didn't, nobody would. It helps me sleep at night. Mostly."_

_She chuckled once, humorlessly. "Well, nothing could possibly help me sleep tonight."_

_"What'd you mean?" He placed the book on his legs. "'Cause of the spell tomorrow?"_

_"Yes." She hesitated for a moment, very unlike her. "And because of what she'll lose and what you'll lose."_

_"It'll be really difficult, but it's for the best." He put on a brave face. "When she fixes this, you won't die like this, and none of us will remember. It's worth it."_

_"It will be." She moved hair out of her face. "I have the easy job. I'll perish once the spell is done, but you and Emma and Belle and everyone else will still be here, fighting."_

_"We're heros. We've done what it takes to keep everybody alive without resorting to dark magic, and here we are, about to change all of this."_

_"I know. I am so proud of you, Henry, so proud." She clasped his hand in both of hers. "You're a good man, strong and brave and kind. Don't let anything change your kind heart, not ever."_

_"I won't. I swear."_

_"And take care of your mother." Her eyes drifted toward the door then back to his. "Be there for her. She's been through much, lost much...and she'll lose even more tomorrow. She'll need you more than ever."_

_"Mom, I know. I won't let anything happen to any of us. We'll be fine. Trust me."_

_"I do." She smiled at him then leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Thank you for helping me, my little prince."_

_His lip twitched, and he had to inhale deeply to shake the urge to cry out of his system. "I love you, Mom."_

_"I love you too." She released his hand. "We have work to do, so let's get busy."_

_"Right." He opened the book he had chosen. "What I wouldn't give for one of Granny's chocolate frosted donuts. Hell, even one of her chocolate donuts." He missed the smell of cooking pastries. He missed a great many things. He was going to miss two more things after tomorrow. They were saying good bye to so many things, so many people, and he tried to not let it get to him, but it was. He was going to lose his mom and baby sister tomorrow. He would wake up each morning without them until his kid sister managed to change their past. His entire day revolved around teaching her and helping Anna and tending to Grace—they'd found her a while back with her dad, who was gravely injured. He was still unconscious, but he would wake for a few minutes sometimes. Grace seemed to live for those moments. He was trying to help her cope and become strong. It was a challenge, but maybe it would take his mind off of his mom's death and his sister being gone. He had faith in her, and he knew she would help restore this world to what it should be. He just knew it._

_– – –_

_She opened her eyes as someone gently shook her awake, and she lifted her head, seeing the person was Emma. Belle normally woke her up for breakfast, not Emma. What was going on? She knew instantly something was happening or had happened or was about to happen by the look in Emma's eyes. She pushed herself up onto her knees, dark long hair cascading down her shoulders, and she frowned, her heart racing in her chest. "What's happened?"_

_"Let's get lunch."_

_"Let me change."_

_"Well, I got you some new clothes. They aren't as worn, so they should last a bit longer than your other clothes." Emma held them out. "I'll see you in few minutes."_

_"Okay." She accepted the clothes, waited for Emma to leave before she changed and brushed her hair out. She grabbed her boots and hurried to meet Emma, gathering her hair and pulling it back. She found not only Emma but Henry, Belle, Mom and some crusty-looking stranger. She gave him a once over, recognizing something about him, but before it came to her the fact that nobody else was around came first. "Where is everybody?"_

_"They're training." Emma shrugged. "Come and eat. We need to talk to you."_

_"I'm...not hungry." She took a seat. "What's going on?"_

_"We can't stop him," Regina started. "Not like this. He has vast number of people at his side, uses unstable magicks, and we'll never win. We came to this conclusion some time ago and Belle looked for a solution. She found a spell. One that we had encountered many years ago by your aunt."_

_"Zelena?" She looked from Belle to her mother, wondering why they would use any spell her aunt had used. _

_"Yes."_

_"What spell did Zelena provide exactly?"_

_"Time travel," Henry answered._

_"T—time travel?" Her brows furrowed. "How are we going to do that? I've read about that spell. We would need courage and a brain and a resilient heart and...the product of true love." She looked over the faces of her family. "Unless you found a way to substitute the heart, a brain and product of true love...it won't work."_

_"We found a substitute," Emma assured her. "And we know exactly...who's going back."_

_"Well, I guess I can stop hearing Henry gripe about chocolate frosted donuts." She smirked. "You'll get to eat your weight in them soon enough."_

_"No, we're sending you," Regina amended._

_Her smirk instantly faded, as did the color from her face, and her eyes widened with fear. "What?" Her voice was small. "Me?"_

_"You're the best choice." Belle sat beside her. "It'll be fine. We've got a plan."_

_"But you're sending me?" She ran her eyes over Belle's face then Emma's and finally looked to her mother. "Why me?"_

_"Because you're powerful and resourceful and the only one who can."_

_"Emma can go back."_

_"Nope." Emma shook her head. "I have to stay and keep everybody safe with Henry and Belle. We'll need all the magic we can get once you're gone."_

_"W—what about Neal? Neal can go back!"_

_"Neal doesn't want to go back. He doesn't want to see his parents alive, because he'll only think of their death. He can't find a way around that." Henry felt his chest ache. "And he's doing good work with Marian. He's learning how to tend to his own wounds, and he's even managing to grow medicinal herbs. We need him."_

_"So then we can send Marian."_

_"We're not sending Neal or Marian or Emma back," the man finally spoke, a strong accent on him. "We're sending you. We don't have time for your adolescent rambling. We need to do this and now, so swallow your tears and gather your courage, or we'll all die down here together, crushed by stone and choked by blood. Or we'll become part of his puppet army, forced to kill every living being that remains."_

_"That's not necessary," Belle snapped at him._

_"Yes, it is. We don't have time for her to name off everybody she thinks will make a good replacement. We need to do this now. I need to do this now. I'm barely hanging on as it is." He rose._

_"There is no one else," Regina declared. "We're doing this now, and I won't have anymore arguing from any of you. Let's go prepare, Belle."_

_"Mom—"_

_"Pack a bag," Regina cut her off. "You have three minutes." She walked toward the exit with Belle and Mulan. Henry gave her an encouraging smile then followed his mom, hand resting on the hilt of his sword._

_"Time's ticking away, dearie." The old man turned and left._

_She swallowed hard and stood up, heading quickly to her room. She grabbed a bag nearest to her and began to just shove things into it, tears filling her eyes. She hastily scrubbed at them, grabbing her favorite picture out from under her pillow, and she heard someone enter her room. "What do you want?"_

_"I just came to give you these. Belle firmly and repeatedly insisted." Emma closed the space between them and plopped down on her bed. "These are important."_

_"Books?" She frowned. "I already have plenty of important books."_

_"These aren't regular books, kiddo. These are story books, only their stories haven't been written yet. They mean a lot to Belle_—_to all of us really_—_so you're taking them with you. They need to be protected more than you can ever know." These were the last story books in the entire world. They held so much potential for both good and evil, and if he ever got his hands on them, he could write a world far worse than this. If that was even possible. He already had the writer, so all he needed were the books and an idea. Luckily, this world was so badly damaged, practically made of ash and blood, that nothing the could be used to make another storybook. That was the only upside to this wasteland, and it was devastating._

_"Put them in my bag, please." She bent down and grabbed her grandmother's spellbook from off the floor, holding to close to her chest as Emma took out some of the junk she had put into her bag to make room for the story books. "I don't understand. Why me, Emma?"_

_"Because I said so, that's why." Emma smiled then stood up and hugged her tightly. "I can't explain it. There isn't enough time. I'm sorry." Emma kissed the top of her head and released her. "You just have to trust us. We know you can do this."_

_"You do?" She lifted her head, and Emma nodded. She opened the book and grabbed one page that she had ripped out a while ago and accidentally caught on fire, leaving the rest behind._

_"Here, take this." She hand over her medicine. "It ought to cover you for a while. I already thanked the necessary people for you." She opened it and swallowed all of the crushed root, cringing, and Emma used light magic on the mark, but not as much as before. "There."_

_Regina entered the room. "Are you ready?"_

_"Yeah." She couldn't meet her eyes._

_Regina checked the bag her daughter had packed and took out the useless junk that Emma didn't think to remove. "You won't need this stuff, just the books." She spotted the picture of them at the hospital that had fallen a year after that picture was taken and ran her fingertip over it, but she left it be. "It's time to go. Here." Regina held out the bag to her daughter._

_She took the bag and shouldered it. "Thanks."_

_"You can't tell them everything," Regina informed her. "Only the important details. The rest is nonessential and could put us in danger. You can't risk changing the future or the past. You need to exercise extreme caution."_

_"Okay. I will." _

_She was guided by Emma and her mom to where the others were. She took a deep breath and forced herself to walk the last few steps. She turned to find Henry, Maleficent, Belle, Mulan and the old man behind her. "So, what now?"_

_"You're going to stand in the center," Belle explained, "and Maleficent will begin the spell." Her eyes were red, her voice thick. "You'll arrived a few feet from town, but not passed the town line. Uh, here, I need you take this and give it to me in the past, all right?" It was another book. "It has magic to protect itself, in case of a potential threat."_

_She nodded. "Yeah." She slipped it into her bag and was enveloped in a tight embrace. "Belle."_

_"Be careful," Belle murmured. "Don't stress out, and don't do anything impulsive."_

_"I will be careful, and I'll think things through. Calmly."_

_"Don't forget to mediate." She set a hand on her cheek. "Be very careful with your words. Swear to me you'll be careful."_

_"I swear."_

_Belle stepped back, and Emma took her place. "Here, kiddo, this is for you." She removed her necklace and fastened it around her neck. "It's enchanted. We can't have you spilling everything so this is my solution, and the last time I almost lost it in a fight. I want you to keep it safe, okay?"_

_"Yeah, I will." She closed her hand around the swan. "I promise."_

_"I know." Emma leaned forward. "Don't ever give up on us. Just keep trying. Everything sort of sorts itself out, you know? Don't push. Time's important, but not if they don't understand everything. It might actually be worse if they don't understand everything."_

_"I'll keep drilling it into them with as much detail as I can then."_

_"Good. And behave."_

_"I'll try."_

_Emma stepped aside and began to do something to the circle etched in to the dirt, but Henry's hug blocked her view, and he said, "Keep a blade hidden on you at all times, just in case. Never let your guard down, and enjoy the food. Drink a hot coco with cinnamon for me."_

_"Okay, and I tend to."_

_"I'll keep them safe, don't worry."_

_"I know you will, and I'm not worrying about you at all." She smiled. "Stay out of trouble."_

_"My entire world is trouble, so that's impossible."_

_She laughed a little. "Then be safe."_

_He gave a nod._

_She moved her eyes to Maleficent then over to her mom. She made the move and embraced her mom tightly, her fingers digging into her back, and Regina felt a wave of agony tear through her, knowing this might be the last time she even had a daughter. This might be the last time she even **remembered** she had a daughter. "I love you, Mom."_

_"I love you too." Regina held her close. "You have to go, sweetheart. You have to go now." Regina released her and gripped her hands tightly, using that moment to give her magic to her daughter. "I know you can do this."_

_"I **have** to do this."_

_"Don't forget why you're doing this, and who you're protecting. If that mark tries to take you, fight it and fight him. You're stronger than you know." She kissed her forehead. "I'll be with you, darling, even if it doesn't seem like I am. So is my magic." She smiled tearfully at her. "Be the light that shines through this darkness. Give him hell."_

_She stepped back into the center of the mark, looking over the few faces of her family, and she watched her mom place her heart in a bowl. She looked at the others, seeing a hilt of a sword—Mulan's sword—a golden brain, and something Emma was still conjuring. She couldn't quite make it out. Maleficent began the spell, she nearly fell from the blast of strong magic, and she could feel him coming. She gazed at the streams of orange, red, white and green that twisted together at her feet, burning brightly like flames and covering the ground just inside the circle._

_"Shit. They're coming." Henry unsheathed his blade. "Belle, go get Marian and Cruella. Mulan, I need you to push them back. They won't get her."_

_As the magic grew, the streams all glowed gold and the portal to the past began to open. With one last glimpse at her time, she saw her family fighting off their enemies, her mother on her knees and pale, their eyes locked and then it was all gone—her world, her family, the sounds of steel on steel—all of it, but she could hear something. It echoed around her._

_"I'm gonna do the best I can."_


	9. Darkness Inside The Town

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

"Well, she appears to be stable now," Whale relayed Regina.

"'Appears'?" Regina repeated. "You spent over thirty minute examining her just to tell me she "appears" to be stable?! If I wanted someone to state the obvious and give me absolutely no help, I would have called David! At least he would rush in all gallant and wouldn't waste thirty minutes of my time—of _her_ time—guessing!"

His brow twitched. "There isn't anything wrong with her that I can tell. She has no fever, no wounds, nothing I can even begin to work with. Whatever is wrong with her is in your area of expertise."

"I already know that." Regina had no patience. "I wanted to know if you could do anything for her pain!" She massaged the headache forming in her temple, and she was really trying hard not to reach over and—

"Mom." Henry wore his _Mom, stop please_ face, giving Whale an apologetic smile.

"I can give her a sedative, although I don't know if it will do any good."

"It's worth a try." She ran a hand through her hair and exhaled the negative urges.

Whale injected her with a sedative, Regina checked her phone for any messages—text or voicemail—from Emma but there were none, and Henry thanked Whale for coming to help them. Ruby had come back with a plate of reheated food since Whale got there the same time Serah's food was ready, and she left the tray on the bed and walked Whale out. Henry set the bowl on the nightstand and unfolded the napkin, peering over at his mom as she paced and checked her phone again.

"You can go," Henry reminded her. "I can take care of Serah. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal."

"So is finding out what else is hidden in that book. Look, Mom, if I need help I'll call Grandma or Granny. Trust me, okay? I'll take care of her."

Regina looked at Henry then Serah and back. She didn't want to leave them alone, because honestly Serah might die. She might pass in an hour or in the night, and Regina wanted to be there. Regina had been there when she came in to the world, and it was only right that she was there to see her out of it. Regina had always been there when someone she loved dearly died, and even if Regina didn't feel love for the girl in this time, in the future Regina loved this girl unconditionally, and the last thing she should know is that her mother was there for her always. To leave seemed so cruel. And if she did die, and Henry had to be here all by himself? She would never forgive herself. How could she?

"She's my sister—my baby sister—and I want to take care of her. You'll be back before you know it, and then we can take care of her together." He smiled reassuringly at his mom. "Go."

She returned his smile poorly. "All right." She walked toward the door. "Henry?"

"Yeah?"

"If she wakes, call me immediately."

"I will."

"And if anything happens, call."

"I will. Trust me."

She nodded and exited the room, going to the door and then to her car. She made her way to Belle's shop and found Emma and Belle inside with Killian and David. They were standing around an old book, which she assumed was the book Serah had brought with her. She trapised over to them and set her hands on the flat surface of the counter.

"Regina, you're here." A look of surprised crossed Emma's face. "How's Serah?"

"The same." She didn't look at Emma. "Why are you all standing around? I thought you were looking for answers."

"We are," Belle promised her, "but... Well, have a look." Belle turned the book around so that it was facing Regina; she eyes narrowed at the letter that was resting in the pages with her name written in her own hand. "It just appeared," Belle let out a confounded chuckle.

"It just appeared the minute you walked into the door," Emma added. "The book recognized you."

"Well, it should." Regina picked up the letter delicately. "This is one of my mother's spellbooks, only it's clearly been taken apart and put back together in the form of journal."

"Why would you use your mom's spellbook?" David shifted his weight as he leaned on the counter.

"So that I would recognize it," Regina retorted, her patience thin. "Clearly, the future Belle knew that when they sent Serah back, I wouldn't be...convinced easily, and so she chose to use a book that would reassure me this girl was geniune." Regina remembered going through Serah's bag, and this book was not there. How did Serah get this to Belle? Did she hide in her coat? Or was it protected? That would make sense. It would only reveal itself to Serah and Belle then to all of them once it had been handed over to its rightful owner. Well, Belle has uped her game quite a bit it seems. "May I borrow this book?"

"Uhh, yeah." Belle nodded. "I just need to copy a few pages. There's an incantation that'll release the fairies from the Sorcerer's hat Rumple had."

Killian met her eyes. "If you need help, I'm here."

She smiled a little. "That'd be nice."

"Well, I guess Emma and I will hit the books," David declared, "try to find a substitute for this deathroot."

"Yeah, I'll go run to Granny's and get some coffees." Emma stepped back from the counter. "We'll head over to Mom's, let you guys have some space. Call if you need anything."

"I'll go copy those pages." Belle gently picked up the book and proceeded to copy the pages.

Killian gave Emma a kiss on the cheek before she left then stepped in to the back to help Belle, David collected all of the books Belle had given him on plants and headed out to his truck, and Regina could feel her magic vibrating off the letter. She wanted to read it, but she had a feeling the words she had written weren't kind ones. Or encouraging ones, and meant for her ears alone.

"Here you are." Belle handed her the book. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thank you." Regina held it to her chest. "If you need help with the fairies, just give me a call."

"If I need you, I will."

– – –

Back at Granny's, Henry was reading the storybook to Serah, trying to fill her in on the goods parts, wanting her to know that even if her world and life were dark, they all had light inside. They all had hope, and it would work out. He kept wanting her to wake and to mock him jokingly or roll her eyes—anything, really. Her being silence hurt. He felt connected to her, even if they weren't close yet, and he was worried that no matter how much he hoped and believed that she wouldn't wake up, wouldn't roll her eyes, wouldn't be there to help them. He didn't want this to be the end. They didn't even have a beginning yet, so...why did he have this sinking feeling in his chest?

Regina sat on the edge of the tub in the bathroom, feeling absurd. She had no reason to hide the letter. Henry was too busy tending to Serah to even notice, but for some reason, she didn't want him to see whatever the letter contained. She was being silly, but perhaps for a good reason.

She looked over her name once more then turned the letter over and opened it carefully, not wanting to rip anything. She pulled out the letter, setting the envelope down on her lap, and she unfolded it, running her eyes over the words before her. She frowned, as it wasn't a reveal of who this enemy was but a page from what might be a journal. The words were faded, but it hummed at her. Playing on a hunch, she waved her hand over it, and a projection of herself appeared.

"_I don't know what day it is. I don't even want to guess at what day it is, to be honest. We don't really focus on days, just keeping everybody fed and warm, and keeping our numbers up and people strong. Emma and I are who they look to. The Queen and the Savoir. Henry's even trying to come up with a catchy name for us. Every day he comes up with a new one, and it brings a smile to our faces. He's kept hope alive for so much of us, kept spirits up, and that's no easy task. With the world being swallowed up by darkness, it's all we can do to keep a barrier up around town. That won't last much longer. Emma more than capable, and I have such faith in her and her magic, but we're stronger together. I can't use my power anymore, not when it strains me so, and Emma and Snow scold me if I even suggest adding my magic to the barrier. They're keeping us safe. Being however many months pregnant in this nightmare... I just have to get used to them mollycoddling me, but soon enough I'll have my strength back, and that son of a bitch won't know what hit him_."

"_I can feel him getting closer. I can feel it in the tips of my fingers, in the wind as if it were whispering to me, and I can see it in the eyes of my family. My child will be born in utter darkness. I know that, even if they tell me otherwise. I've begun to make preparation for the worst with Robin. He seems to be the only one who doesn't write off my concern. He's been amazing through all of this, finding exactly what I need, and he tries to be with me at all time. I understand that his men need him. He's their leader, and they look to him, and I respect that. What he doesn't know is that I am more powerful now that I have ever been. Not only do I have my magic, but the magic of our child. I've been adding to the barrier at night, and it's stronger than it has ever been. My magic, Emma's and my child's will keep us safe."_

_"It's a girl. I'm having a girl._" She wore a radiant smile, but her eyes were empty, saddened. "_I haven't found a name yet, but I have time. I have a few weeks._"

There was a pause, and then she appeared again, holding a newborn Serah in her arms. She looked exhausted, her skin two hues too light, and they were in the vault. She could see ingredients and boxes behind her. She didn't say anything this time, just cradled her baby daughter. It faded away and then it was just Regina. She wore her black hair in a long braid, the scar Serah had mentioned that ran from her jaw to her cheek, her eyes were shadowy and hard, spilling secrets of what happened in their dark future. She wore some type of armor. It wasn't from the Enchanted Forest, but appeared to be homemade. It was worn, and it had blood stains, but it was hers. It was her battle armor. She noted a small bird on the shoulder that was sewn in. Snow had made that for her.

_"You're looking me over_," the future her verbalized. _"Go right ahead. I want you to look at me, because this is you, what you will become, if you fail_." She seemed to be looking into Regina's eyes. "_We've lost so many people, and we've had to be so many things for those who are left—healers, teachers, mentors, mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers_." A solemn chuckle. _"In this world, you can't afford to always be a **just** mother. No, you have to be a leader too. You have to make the tough decisions, ones that involve sending a child to do a job that **has** to be done correctly_."

Regina shifted on the edge of the tub. When did she make this? And why wasn't it given to her sooner?

_"There are a lot of things I wanted to tell Serah when I was pregnant. I had images in my mind of what it would be like, having Robin and Henry and Roland in my life with her. Nothing came true, but she is alive. She's capable of staying alive. There is a fire in her that will not die, that will not relent, and in her lowest moments, will burn brightly, destroying all of the darkness that infects her_." A smile. An authentic, proud smile crossed her lips. "_She has that fire from the Evil Queen, but she is good, and she gets that from you, Regina. She's stubborn and unyielding, but I know that no matter what happens, she'll need you. She can stand on her own, but don't let her be alone, especially in the end_."

Regina frowned. In the end? The end of what? The end of Serah's life?

"_**You** have do this. Serah was just a catalyst, and she can't begin to do this alone, so it's up to you. You and Emma and Mary Margaret and everyone else in town who can hold a sword or a bow or any other type of weapon. It'll take **all** of you_." She let out a lengthy, weary sigh. "_The one who came after us, the one who destroyed everything, you won't find him in the storybook. Or even in your books. His name is Oogie Boogie. Ask Henry about him_." She rubbed her fingers over her lips. "_And don't underestimate him. Or his three main henchmen. They were ridiculous in their story, but not anymore. They are no joke. They have vast power, control over such darkness..._" She shook her head. "_Don't ever let your guard down."_

It was over. She knew who caused all of this, and she wasn't sure how she felt. Well, future Regina had a lot of faith in Serah surviving the darkness inside, but not of stopping this Oogie Boogie. From the look of things, future Regina was wrong on both counts. Serah was likely to die. Very soon. There was nothing Whale or she or Emma could do, but wait. Future Regina seemed to think Serah might die as well, or maybe...vanish from the timeline. Regina swallowed. Well, at least they now knew what was coming. She needed to talk to Henry then Emma and Belle. They were no army, but they weren't by any means helpless.

She exited the bathroom. "Henry—"

"Wait, wait, wait." He held his hand up. "I—I think she's coming around."

"What?" Regina set the letter down and moved to her side.

Serah's brows creased, her lips parted, her fingers twitched into hands spasms. How she was waking up wasn't right, even if she was coming off a sedative. She appeared to be struggling. Son of a bitch, Serah wasn't waking; she was _fighting._ Something was happening inside her that was boiling up to the surface. The only reason she would be fight is because the mark had spread and was taking her over. She was losing the fight.

"Henry, get back!" Regina pulled him off the bed and behind her.

"But—"

"Stay back!" She readied herself for whatever was about to come.

Serah exhaled slowly, her small body jolting once, and her eyes snapped open. The once deep brown had been hazed over with a fiery orange that swirled around black, and they watched as darkness spread from the veins in her face downward. She threw the covers off, setting her feet on the floor, Regina pushed Henry back further behind her and readied a fireball; and Serah's eyes swept across the room, landing on them. Her lips pulled into a wicked smile as she rose off the bed.

"Henry, run."

"Mom, no!" Henry grabbed her arm, the fireball landed on the rug and began to burn the red and gold material instead of the enemy who seemed to be gathering magic for an attack of some sort. "Stop, please!"

"Henry, she's not Serah anymore! We don't have time to debate this, just leave! I can handle this."

"Stop it. I know she's still in here. We just have to give her a chance."

Serah raised her arms, Regina protectively stood in front of Henry and was about to magick them out of the room when Serah suddenly collapsed. Her body began to seize. Henry grabbed the phone to call 911 while Regina handled the fire. She would explain it to Granny later, but for now, she needed a way to control Serah's magic. If she was becoming lost to them, they couldn't have her running around with the magic of two people. She knew there was a way, and she would need help.

Henry went with Serah to the hospital, Regina promised would follow later, but she had a stop to make at Belle's shop. She would do what Greg Mandell did to her to Serah—the bracelet part of it only. She would bind her magic. It was the only way to keep Serah and everyone else save. If she was turning into one of his men, she might go and release him. Without magic, that might be hard to do and crippling Oogie Boogie's rise to power might be their only hope. She would speak to Henry at the hospital about him. Maybe Emma knew as well. She was raised in this world, so she might know about him. She would get her on the way to the hospital.

"Belle." Regina entered the back room.

Her head swept up. "I know."

"You...know?" Regina's brows furrowed. "How?"

"I know what you're here for, so she must be turning." Belle walked over to the table. "I've already made the bracelet. It'll bind her magic, and it'll keep her and us safe."

"What exactly did future Belle write you? You seem to be one step ahead."

"She just wanted to be thorough." Belle appeared heartbroken. "I understand why Belle wrote this journal, but I wish that she wouldn't have."

"Why? What have you read?"

"I know what happens—not when, just...how. She wrote in heavy detail, and I feel like I've experienced it." She wrapped an arm around herself. "We can't let this happen. We really can't let this happen."

"We won't," Regina promised. "This is our town, and nobody is going to come and take it."

Belle nodded. "I have the bracelet here. I used one of the antiques in the shop, and Rumple had quite a lot of ingredients here, so it wasn't difficult." She held it a purple cloth bag. "When she's wearing the bracelet, let me know."

"Sure." Regina accepted the bag. "Did you find anything out about who did all this?"

"No. Belle didn't name him. I guess she wanted us to figure it out. Or...maybe I haven't come across it yet." Belle frowned a little. "I don't know. Have you found anything?"

"Maybe." Regina could tell Belle wasn't lying, just sad. Whatever past Belle had written to future Belle was just between the two of them. Regina shouldn't stick her nose it in. "Thank you for this. I'll go get her." She left the shop and opened the bag on the way to her car. The bracelet was a gold brass, flower-etched hinged bangle. She put this on Serah, the hinge would seal itself and the magic. It might even give her control of her body again.

Tugging the cloth bag closed, she slipped into her car and called Emma.

––

Henry waited outside Serah's room, and Whale exited. He shot up and swallowed the space between them, his worry an aura around him. He didn't want Serah to turn in to a monster. He had seen what she had become, and he wouldn't let that happen to her again. A slave in her own body? No. He would _never_ let that happen. _They_ would never let that happen.

"How is she?"

"She's fine. Unconscious again, but fine. We've taken some blood, and we're going to run some tests. We'll take care of her. You can see her in a little bit. Right now, she needs to rest. We're keeping her room locked for her safety and ours." He gave him an encouraging smile then departed.

Henry placed his hands on the cold glass, peering into the room where Serah lay sleeping. She looked so peaceful, but he knew it was a lie. She was struggling to regain control. He knew that's why she seized up. She was forcing it out of her body. She would need help. He had to get into that room. He had to help her. If she knew someone was at her side, that someone believe in her, she might just pull through. It made a world of difference to having someone there. Struggling with information that would change their entire world was hard enough, but enduring that while fighting off darkness and swallowing the pain she must feel every time she saw one of her family members who had died alive was impossible. He would lighten her burden, even if it was just a bit. He had to try.

He was alone in his room, but there was a nurse inside with Serah. He could get inside when she left. He'd have to be careful about it and quick, but he could do it. He had to do it. He knew there was no way she would give up her body without a fight. There was a no way. No one in their family just gave up, so he would help her through this.

Henry sat down and grabbed a magazine, the nurse opened the door a few minutes later, and he kept an eye on the door, listening to her feet. When she was gone, he jumped up and sprinted to the door, grabbing the handle before it closed. He entered and walked over to Serah.

"I want you to know I'm here for you. Okay? I'm right here." He took her hand. "You're not alone."

A smile spread across her lips, her eye fluttering open, and her hand shot through the air, her fingers clenching around his neck. He met her eyes, seeing that fiery orange and black. The eyes of their true enemy. Her hold on his neck tightened, smiling as he groaned, suffocating and trying to loosen her grip enough to free himself. She knew her grip was solid, and she would only let him go when his body went limp and the spirit left his eyes.

"Henry!" Regina and Emma shouted, rushing over to the door, trying to get it open, but it was locked, and it was more than just a mere lock keeping them out. "Henry!"

At the sound of their voices, Serah blinked hard, her grasp slipping. Henry fell to his knees, choking in air and tenderly touching his neck. Serah shuddered and shook her head, placing her hands on her temples. She used magic to cast his voice out of her head. She would not be commanded. She would not be used like this. She would not hurt Henry. She wouldn't hurt her family, not like her dad, not like her uncle.

"It's okay." Henry assured his moms once the magic Serah had used to lock them out faded.

"Regina, do it now." Emma held Henry close in her arms.

Regina tried to grab Serah, but she magicked herself out of the room. "Damn it!"

"We need to find her." Emma's voice was airy. "She might hurt someone, or herself."

"How are we going to find her? She would be anywhere."

"You found her once," Henry reminded his mom.

"With Pongo." She paused. "Ruby. Let's get Ruby to look for her. She knows what Serah looks like and smells like. Rudy and I will check the woods."

"Then I'll take Pongo," Emma proposed. "She might be in town, and we can't afford to be wrong. We don't know if she's still Serah, and if she's lost the fight...she's going to him. We can't let him enter our world."

Regina turned to Henry. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, she didn't hurt me." He cleared his throat. "Much. I'll go back to Granny's."

"You sure? We can drop you off at Grandma and Grandpa's," Emma told him.

"I'll walk there after I get our stuff. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now, we need to go. We're wasting time."

"If you find her, bring her to my vault," Regina said on her way out.

––

Serah fell to her knees in the woods, her nails digging into the cold earth, sweat coating her forehead. She kept dry heaving, as if she could force this darkness out of her body, as if heaving would make her feel better, as if she could regain control somehow. She wasn't in control. It was her body, but it was foreign to her. It was all _him._ All of it—the power that surged through her, the hunger to destroy, the burning to seek him out—was _him_!

Tears rose up in her eyes. She couldn't do this. She couldn't let this happen. She was strong. She could fight this. She could fight _him._ She had no choice but to fight. After everything that happened, she couldn't let it end like this. She couldn't be the one who destroyed the world. It would destroy her family. Everyone she had ever loved, and they would know it was her. They would see her as a monster. They would see her as the one who knocked out the first brick, drew first blood, and they would watch as she ripped down the barrier on the town line and flooded the world with darkness. All at his command, but they wouldn't know, because it would look like her, sound like her, walk and talk and smirk like her. He would make them think it was her to protect himself, to ease their worries, but it wasn't her, and she would never have the chance to tell them it wasn't her. She would be buried so deeply in darkness that she wouldn't have the strength to even think to fight.

No. She wouldn't be anyone's pawn. This body, this life, was hers! It was hers to do with whatever she wanted, and she wanted to stop him. She was on the side of heros. She was the daughter an amazing woman who proved that people can change, that people can decide their fate. They just needed a push. Her push was her family. Mom, Emma, Belle, Henry, Neal, Marian, Mal, Mulan and so many others. They trained with her, taught her, lectured her, bettered her! They did not do all of those things for it to end like this. They did not send her back to fail! No, she wouldn't fail. Even if she had to end herself, she would ensure they didn't fail, and she would protect them. She would keep them safe for all the times they kept her safe. That's what family did for each other.

She looked up at the sky, at the light that streamed down through the branches, and she screamed at the top of her lungs. This wasn't her. This wasn't her. _This—wasn't—her!_ It would never be her. She was the daughter of the once Evil Queen and Robin Hood. She was raised by the Savior and the most clever of bookworms with a brave heart and sharp tongue. She was the sister to man with the Heart of the Truest Believer. She mentored by so many powerful, hopeful, honest people who proved that light and dark can work together. She could prove that light and dark can work together in one body. She could do this. She had the power of the Queen, the determination of the Thief and the hope of the Princess. She knew she could do this.

She crumbled on to the forest floor, the last of her energy gone and the world became quiet and calm. The last thing she saw was the green of the grass that seemed to cradle her turn brown and lifeless as the darkness inside of her began to drain the life and beauty out of everything around her.


	10. Can Be Changed, Will Be Changed

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _**

––

"All right, I have two drinks that might stop our hearts, but if they don't, we'll be awake for days." Emma handed one to Regina, taking note of the look in her eyes. "Hey, you okay?"

"No," she confessed, wrapping her fingers around the cup of coffee. "No, I'm not."

"What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Emma moved hair out of her face then placed her hand on her hip. "Is it about Serah?"

"What if we can't help her?" Her voice was low, and she didn't want to be saying this, but it might happen. She couldn't get the image of future Regina's eyes out of her mind. "What if we have to kill her?"

"Regina—"

"No, Emma, listen to me. What if she becomes his little slave and tries to kill us? Or someone in town?Or Henry? She almost succeeded once."

"Then we...try and subdue her. We can't just kill her. She's—she's your kid, so we'll find a way to do this without her or us dying. We have magical and non-magical options here." Emma took the place between Regina and the arm of the chaise and set her cup down on the floor. "We can tranquilizer her. We can get the tranquilizers from Whale, or if you have or can make something that's stronger, we'll use that. We have options, Regina."

She exhaled and nodded. "I'm just...tired."

"Then drink." Emma tapped the coffee cup with her knuckle. "We'll find her and get this sorted."

"If something goes wrong, I want you to keep Henry out of it." Regina locked eyes with Emma. "No matter how much time passes, no matter if you don't hear from me, keep Henry out of it."

"_If_ something goes wrong," Emma enunciated, "I will." She picked up her coffee. "Until drink. We have to get going."

If it came down to ending Serah's life, or what would have been Serah's life, Regina would be the one to stop her. If that was all she could do for her daughter, she would do it. Tipping back the coffee, Regina hoped her mind would clear. Her heart was already too heavy, and her mind kept adding weight.

– – –

A wolf sniffed the crisp night air, looking for one scent among the numerous, and the wolf caught a whiff of the scent she was searching for. She ran through the woods, the dirt kicking up at her paws as she moved with the wind, pinpointing the exact location of the scent.

Traveling deeper in the woods, she came across a small curled up body surrounded by dead grass and flowers, shuddering moderately. She threw her head back and howled loudly, a mourning cry. She waited, and Ruby came speeding out of the woods, seeing Serah in a ball, and she bent down beside the wolf, gently stroking its ear. She pressed her forehead to the wolf's as a thank you. She nodded at her and watched the wolf run in to the woods, disappearing into the night. She hurried over to Serah and gently rolled her over on to her back. She was alive. Ruby could hear her heart beating softly, like rain gently pattering on wood, and she picked her up. The girl was unconscious, but for how much longer, Ruby didn't know. She needed to get her to Regina's vault.

Ruby knew all too well what it's like to have power inside you you couldn't control. She knew how hard it must be for Serah, how dangerous it was, and she would help them however she could. It wasn't her fault she had this mark, and she could gain control over it. It just needed to be tamed, feed and only let out when it could help, not harm. Everything needed to be released at some point. And if not, all of that darkness and magic would find a way out.

Arriving at the cemetery, Ruby could sense Serah was about to wake. She picked up her pace, finding Emma and Regina in the vault, speaking softly and looking over a map . They were arguing about the places they had look and the places they hadn't. Emma wanted to check out the woods again, but Regina wanted to check out some of the empty cabins. Everyone who was looking for Serah were in twos to ensure everyone would be safe, so they couldn't just leave each other. This argument could go on for hours, so Ruby cleared her throat, lifting Serah up as a gesture, and they rushed to help her. Regina led the into the next room, Ruby and Emma set Serah down on the chaise. Regina grabbed the purple cloth bag and pulled out the bracelet, taking her Serah's wrist and fitting the bracelet around her.

"Did it work?" Emma could hear the desperate hope in her voice.

"I don't know."

"How do we know if it worked?" Ruby looked over the young girl, but she was in the same state.

"When she wakes up and turns us into scorch marks on the floor, we'll know it didn't work," Regina snipped.

"We should be ready for when she wakes." Emma stepped back and shook out her hands. "Okay, Ruby, guard the door. We can't let her escape." If she couldn't magic, she'd try to run. If she could, they were screwed.

She nodded and moved to block the doors. "So, what powers did he give her? Do you know?"

"No, we don't." Regina pushed herself up. "So, we need to be ready to counter her attacks. He might have these powers himself, so it'll be a warm up."

"Great." Ruby sighed. "So, you two got this, right?"

"We're about to find out." Emma readied herself as Serah began to let out a low breathe.

The soft grunt that escaped her lips grew into a long groan, her hand lifted from dangling off the chaise to her head and she slowly sat up. She rubbed the back of her head and blinked. "What the hell?" She turned and saw her mother. She flew back to the far wall and her nails dug into it. "S—stay back!"

Emma lowered her hands. "Serah?"

"It's not me, not really, so just go!"

"What do you mean, it's not really you?" Regina frowned.

"I—I can feel it inside, moving and twisting, and it hurts. I can't—I can't—I just _can't_." Her voice broke. "You all need to leave before it comes back."

"It?" Regina approached her. "Do you mean Oogie Boogie?"

"Who?" Serah moved back toward the corner, away from her mother.

"The one who started this. Oogie Boogie."

"Wait, you knew who started this? Hold on, did you just say Oogie Boogie? He started this?" Emma blinked. "Really? Are—are we thinking of the same Oogie Boogie?"

"I—I don't know that name." Serah's back came up against the corner. "Go. Please, just go."

"Sack of full of bugs, sings and gambles Oogie Boogie? Or...is there another one?" Emma questioned, glancing at Ruby.

"Please, stop coming closer," Serah begged. "I don't want to hurt you."

Regina continued toward her. "You know something about this, and if you don't know...he does. Part of him is inside you, so he can tell me."

"Regina, please."

She stopped and stood back, her eyes locked in her daughter's. She summoned a fireball. "You want me to stop? Make me stop."

"Regina." Emma lunged forward, but Ruby grabbed her. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"I...I can't." Ruby was frozen in that position. "I can't move."

"Regina, stop this! We said we wouldn't hurt her!" Emma reminded her. "We said we would find another way!" She knew Regina wasn't listening, and she struggled to get free, but there were so many magicks she didn't know of or how to escape from. "Damn it, Regina!"

Regina tossed the ball up a little and caught it. "Tell me where he is."

"I don't know." Serah shook her head. "I don't know anything about him! I already told you I don't know! Regina, please!"

"That's not the answer I was looking for."

"Ahh!" Serah screamed.

"Regina, no!" Emma tried to use magic to stop the fireball, but she stopped herself. She had to trust Regina was doing the right thing. She had to trust Regina was doing this to scare answer out of her and wouldn't actually harm her. That, and Emma had a feeling she wouldn't she able to stop Regina at the moment.

The fireball shot through the air, Serah lifted her arms to protect herself, eyes shut tightly and the ball bounced off her and blew out. When her eyes opened again, Regina saw his eyes shimmer in Serah's for a brief second then her arms lowered, and Serah fell forward, passing out. Regina caught her before she fell to the floor, Ruby and Emma could move again, and Regina gently held her daughter. She knew instantly it wasn't Serah who Ruby had brought in. Serah was inside, but he was on the surface. She could feel the difference between the two. They were so different in how they moved, how they spoke and how their magic felt. She knew one of the reasons her future self had given Serah her magic was to help identify her. His aura could blend into Serah's, but his magic couldn't hide in Serah's. It never could.

Emma helped Regina get Serah onto the chaise, Emma had her eyes locked on Regina, and Regina shook her head, starting to explain how she knew and why she kept them back. She didn't want Emma or Ruby to get hurt. They couldn't tell the difference, and they would try and defend Serah. She didn't want to see how much control Oogie had over Serah. Serah had fought enough to make him think she called Regina 'Regina' and not Mom. She was still in there. All they had to do was help her out. There were two ways to do that, and Regina hoped that they only needed to use one.

"I'm glad you knew it wasn't her, but trust me next time, okay?"

"Because you responded so well this time," Regina uttered.

"Excuse me?"

"What are you going to do now?" Regina crossed her arms. "I'll take care of Serah, what'll you do?"

"I'm going to check on Henry and Belle. Are you all right to stay here with her? I can stay and just call them."

"I'll be fine." She nodded. "Go."

"Okay. Uh, I'll tell Belle the bracelet's works while I'm there." She set a hand on Ruby's upper arm. "I'll give you a ride."

"What makes you think the bracelet worked?" Regina inquired.

"She didn't use magic on us when she could have. She just cowered away. If he wanted us dead, I think we would be smoking ash piles on the floor the moment he took her over."

"He could have putting on a show, try to make us think he's really Serah then take us all out when our guards are down. The bracelet may not work, so until we have actual proof don't mention it at all."

"All right, geez." Emma opened the door. "I'll call if we need you."

She nodded. "I'll do the same."

They left the vault, and Emma dropped Ruby off at the diner. She found Killian and Belle in the shop, a happy aura hung in the air, and she smiled as a greeting. Belle looked happy, and Emma soon found out why.

"We found a way to release the fairies," Belle informed Emma. "It was in the book Belle wrote for us. We worked the spell out."

"That's great. I'll call Regina and let her know."

"Okay."

Emma tried to get a hold of Regina, but she wouldn't pick up her phone. She tried to shake off the worry that something might have happened, and she sent her a text on where to meet them. Regina could take care of herself, and if she didn't meet them, they would hunt her down and make sure nothing happened to her or to Serah. Regina clearly knew how to handle herself and how to handle Serah, so Emma didn't let her fret grow.

– – –

Regina waited until Ruby and Emma were out of her vault before she went into the next room and grabbed a few ingredients. She began to make a potion to wake Serah and another potion entirely for herself. She needed to speak to her, but if he tried to slip free in the middle of that conversation, she would put Serah down in the most gentle way she could. She needed to know more about Oogie Boogie, and she would call Henry and speak to him, but obviously this Oogie was different than the one Henry and Emma knew. How was he different? What happened that made him different? To have the power he wields but to confuse Emma at the mention of that power... Something happened that changed him, that changed the way people viewed him and she needed to know what. Serah had to know. She had to know something!

Serah's eyelids twitched as the potion roused her, and Regina held her breathe as Serah pushed herself up. Her eyes landed on Regina, and she looked perplexed. She lifted her hand and rubbed her temple. "Mom?" She looked around the room, seeing _everything_ still. The lit candles did not flicker, the air was still around them and the room was just too silent. Serah wasn't awake in reality. She was awake in her own mind. Regina had found a way inside. "No."

"I needed to talk to you, but I couldn't risk waking you up. Not yet."

"You can't be in here! It's already so crowded, and he'll know you're here. He knows everything I know."

"No, he doesn't."

She met her eyes. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"I want to know how Oogie Boogie got his power."

"How he got his power...?" Serah's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? He's always been this way. Powerful, dark, merciless. There was no before."

"Emma said he was a sack filled with bugs! How could a sack have so much power?"

"You know what he looks like? How? I've never even seen him, not even when he attacked me to give me this scar."

"You don't know anything, do you?"

Her eyes dropped. "It appears I don't. I only know useless information." She was frustrated with herself. "I wanted Henry to come back. It should have been Henry. He's so much better at this, and he knows more than I do. I don't know why they sent me. I was and still am the worst choice. I'm only going to hurt you all. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault what happened with Henry. It wasn't you."

"Yes, it is._ I_ choked Henry. That was _me_!"

"It was him."

"It might as well have been me—it was my body, my strength, my magic that locked you and Emma out. I'm becoming one of his men, and there's nothing you or anybody can do to stop it." She slouched on the chaise, her big brown eyes filled with sorrow and regret. "You should just kill me."

"No."

"Why not? It'd be better for all of you! It'd be safer! You don't see me as your daughter anyway, so just think of me as an enemy and strike me down as I sleep! It'll be quick and painless. Nobody will get hurt. I am asking for this." She searched her mom's eyes. "If you don't kill me...when I wake up...I _will_ be the enemy."

"I am not going to kill you."

"Then I'll just kill you! And Henry and Emma and Snow and Killian!" Her cheeks burned with ire. "I'll kill all of you at his demand, and then who knows what the hell else he'll have me do. For all we know, _I'm_ the reason he gets into town!"

"I'm not killing you!" Regina was just as vexed with Serah. "You dying will not help anything! You don't know what the hell he is or who the hell he is, and you're currently unconscious, so tell me how you're going to kill all of us and usher him into this world? You don't even have magic, so you have no chance of getting by me!"

"Of course I have magic."

Regina reached over and tapped on her wrist. "Belle bound your magic."

"She did what?"

"You can't use magic, Serah, not anymore."

"Then he'll have me use the skills Henry taught me to kill all of you. Everything can be made a weapon."

"You won't hurt us. You can fight him."

"Why do you think that? Why do you always think that I have everlasting strength, because I don't! I'm not you, Mom! I don't bounce back, I just break! I screw up! I'm not cut out for this. I'm not going to bring back light to anyone." Her voice grew soft, tears hung in her eyes but refused to fall. "All I'm going to do is destroy the world and watch it burn."

A beat.

"I know you're not me," Regina informed her daughter. "I know you're not Robin or Emma or Henry. You're my daughter, and I don't expect you to always win. I don't care if you win, just as long as you're alive and safe. If you think for one minute I am going to sit by and let him take you over then you clearly don't know me."

"What can you possibly do?"

"It's not just me who has a job to do." She lifted Serah's chin. "You have to keep fighting. I know you can."

"It's so taxing to fight. He's so unyielding, and I can't see through his darkness anymore. He's this...eternal force pushing against my skull and my back, and it's...killing me, Mom."

"I know, but if everything was easy, there wouldn't be villains. There wouldn't any evil. No one would ever die, and we'd all live happily ever after. But people do die and we don't all get our happy endings, but we all have a chance to fight. We can always fight. Every day, I fight against the mistakes of my past for my happy ending." She smiled. "It's exhausting to keep fighting when what I gain is almost immediately lost, but I don't give up. I refuse to give up, because I want my happy ending." She stroked Serah's cheek, wiping away the tears that fell. "I want Robin and Roland and Henry, and I want you." Tears rolled down Serah's cheeks, Regina chuckled softly, silvery tears clouding her vision. "I want to hold you and raise you with your brothers and Robin. I can't imagine my future without you now that I know you, so I'm going to fight for you. Today, tomorrow and for however long it takes, I am going to fight for you."

Serah's shoulder's trembled as sobs tore through her. She was lighthearted and miserable at the same time, and she felt her mom embrace her, holding her close. She wrapped her arms around her mom, and she wasn't going to let go. She was so scared of losing herself to him, of being erased, of only being a fading memory. She was more petrified of her mom suffering even more than she had in the past in their dark future, of Emma and Killian's losses, of Neal's and Henry's. She wanted them all to be elated, and even though it was selfish, she wanted to be there with them always. They were all she had ever known, and to lose them in the way she was about to—at her own hand—would break her even more. Everything she was or would have become his, and that's what he wanted. She wasn't going to give her body, her mind, her magic to him, not without one hell of a fight.

Regina released her and brushed away the tears, smiling brightly at Serah. "We have a villain to stop, and we'll do it together. I won't leave you to fight alone."

"I know. I'm sor—"

"Don't be sorry, Serah. We all break." Her eyes had a far away look in them, and she inhaled and let the memory settle. "We also all heal. It...takes time, but everyone heals."

"How much time have you been spending with Mary Margaret?"

She laughed, and so did Serah, and even after they were done laughing, it seemed to linger in the air. It was easier to breathe now, Regina could see light in Serah's eyes again, and she knew it was time. From here on out, every decision mattered, even the ones made with inaction. They had to do whatever it took to keep each other safe. They would do what they had to do to stop this son of a bitch.

"It's time."

"I know," Serah whispered.

––

Opening her eyes, Serah pushed herself up into a sitting position, seeing her mother waking across from her. She beamed and threw her arms around her mom, as a thank you, as an I love you, as a check to ensure that it was all real this time. It was, and Serah was Serah. No, she was never Serah. It wasn't her birth name. It wasn't who she was. She had a name, one that she hoped her mother still gave her when their future changed. She had to believe it was _their_ future, not everyone else's.

"I love you, Mom." She released her, still beaming.

Regina smiled back and leaned forward to kiss Serah on the forehead. Regina didn't say those words back, but at her lips touching Serah's forehead, the light of true love's kiss washed over them. It would appear that no matter what time Regina was in part of her heart unconditionally love this girl. This girl meant as much to her as Henry. Perhaps it was sign from her future self to her present self.

From the moment Serah said her name in the woods, Regina knew she was her daughter. She knew, and it wasn't just because of their magic. She could feel it in her heart and in her blood. She was terrified to believe it. If Serah was really her daughter then she and Robin were really together. He had found a way to return to Storybrooke, and they were content. They even had a child together. If those things really happened, that meant so did Robin's death. She knew he was dead in Serah's future by the way Serah had brought him up at the diner, and it made her ache to know she had gained him, a daughter and then lost him. All of her life she had lost loved ones, and she couldn't bear to lose another. Just thinking about it made her blood boil. She had done good, she had changed in every way, and she had gained the same as she had when she was the Evil Queen: A new home, a child and an abundance of heartache.

Regina inspected her daughter for a moment, seeing the surprise in her eyes. That was the way it was written because of Oogie. It didn't have to be that way. Serah was the product of true love herself, and she gave Regina hope, enough hope that she had to swallow it all the time, that her happy ending was more than just a possibility; it was a reality. Even now, after knowing all that would happen, it gave her hope. While the world around her happy ending was utter shit, she still acquired her happy ending. The world could be changed, just as she had changed. That was proof enough that this Oogie Boogie, no matter where he got his power, could have his fate changed too. Henry once told her that heros always win, and she wasn't going to let Oogie change that. This was their home, and they would keep it safe.

Regina tucked hair behind her ear and then remembered that every time true love's kiss had appeared in their lives, it broke a curse. It might have broken the curse Oogie had on Serah. "Let me see your back."

"Why?" The young girl tilted her head, brows meeting.

"Just let me see." She moved back so Serah could turn around, and Regina slid her shirt up, seeing the mark was still there, but it was lighter, smaller. The veins didn't glow, darkness didn't seem to pour out of the scar. It was still.

"How does it look?"

"Better. I don't think we have to worry about this for the moment." Regina released her shirt. "We need to find Emma." Regina started for the door. "And Henry."

"Are you sure?"

"It's stable, Serah."

"Okay...but you should answer your phone. It's vibrating." She handed the phone to her mom.

"Belle must have something. She may need my help." She looked over the text. "We need to meet them in the woods. I know the place. We can get there in ten minutes."

"Um, maybe I should stay."

"Why?" She turned to her. "You don't have any magic, and Emma and I will be there to help if he tries to take control of you again. It'll be better if you come with me."

"What if he gets out and...sets himself free somehow?" She then elaborated, "I was drawn to those woods. It wasn't just that I trained there with you and Emma when we could; it wasn't just that Dad and I love the woods. I was drawn there, because he wanted me there. I should stay in town. With Ruby, perhaps. If anything happens, she's the only one physically strong enough to stop me."

"Nothing will happen, and if it does, Emma and I will protect you." She gave her a reassuring smile. If he did want to take over, the last thing Regina would do was leave Serah in town or in the vault. There were some potent items down here, and she didn't want Oogie to get his hands on them if he somehow managed to take her over. "Come on."

"Okay." She inhaled deeply. "Let's go."

––

"Regina." Emma greeted them. "Serah." Her eyes were unsure.

"Hey." Serah gave Emma a small smile.

"What happened?" Her eyes moved to Regina. "I thought she was unconscious."

"She was, but we managed to get her mark under control. She doesn't have any magic, but if anything happens, it's best that she's with us." She approached Belle and Hook. "So, what are we doing here?"

"Belle found a way to free the fairies," Killian answered. "We thought you'd like to do the honors."

"That's great. Why don't we get started?"

Serah stayed a few feet away from where Emma, Belle and Killian stood, and she laced her fingers together in front of her. She watched as her mother used Rumpelstiltskin's dagger, and her eyes locked on the Sorcerer's hat as it shifted forms, her eyes mesmerized by the stars and how they danced. She could feel a pull inside of her, but her legs were locked. She couldn't look away, and slowly one of the stars seemed to shift and alter before her. She stared as her body recognized that star and it called to her.

Emma, Belle, Mom and Killian faded out of sight, the lively greens and browns of the forest turned black as that star reached out to her, like a hand curling its fingers in a beckoning gesture. She wanted to follow, wanted to grasp that hand, but now her entire body was locked. She could hear a heart beating all around her, blood warm in her ears and her breathing began to escalate. She could feel the world tilting, and she was going to lose her balance. She was going to fall in to the darkness. She would choke on it. She would drown in it. She would be reborn in it.

Three balls of light surrounded her. One was a bright and almost blood red, one was a deep purple and the third was a soft gray. They swirled around her as she fell slowly into the darkness, and then—

"You did it?" Blue seemed to be catching her breath. "Thank you."

"Thank the Mayor," Emma replied. "And Belle."

Serah looked around as the forest had gained new people, and she stumbled back. What the hell? She gripped the back of her neck and caught her breath, not sure what the hell just happened. She could feel the mark was stable, so why did she see such darkness? Was it was flash of what was to come? Or of what was already here? She needed answers, and if she tried to tell her mom, she might only get herself knocked out again. She would have to do this alo... No. No, she had somebody. She would go to Henry. If he was still speaking to her. Shit. She did just strangle him with the intent to kill him. Shit! She needed to apology as soon as she saw him again. If she saw him again. Emma and Mom might keep her away from him. She had some trust to rebuild. Or build.

They all headed back into town together, Serah enjoyed the cold breeze on her face as she looked over the woods, and Regina glanced over at her from time to time, and Serah could feel her eyes. She didn't care, though. It meant that her mom cared enough to keep an eye on her.

She smiled to herself, the wind blowing through her hair, and she felt alive for the first time in a long time. She knew her mom loved her, and she knew now this would end well. True love's kiss no longer existed in her time, but just then...that was real light magic. Uncontaminated. It felt different than Emma's light magic, or even her mom's, and that was a good thing. After he came...all magic changed. It felt...heavy, as if the state of the world was clinging to every particle. But that? That was the light magic Emma used to describe, Serah never thought she would see or feel it. It was beautiful and primitive and eternal. It should never be erased. They would stop him with that magic, and everything would be okay again.

– – –

While the others celebrated the return of the fairies, they didn't notice how a stream of darkness seeped out of the hat and into the forest. As they left, the darkness split into three strands and out came the three best men Oogie Boogie had. Lock, Shock and Barrel.

Lock bent down and crept closer to check out the people leaving with the hat they had just escaped from, the wind rustling his fire red hair. He would have to adjust to this world. The last time he was in this time, he was child. He had no talents, just his brother and sister. This time he had talents and a desire for blood and his siblings. And now they had an objective, and they would see him rise to power and crush the those ants who threatened his reign.

Barrel looked around, uncomfortable with...everything, really. He looked over himself, and he was still the same. Their mission was still the same, only more vital. They knew what they had to do, and they would do it. They always did. Nothing, not even the people in this town, would stop them.

Shock moved hair behind her ear and opened her hand, smiling at the main bug to rested in her palm, sleeping, gathering strength. She held it to her chest and rose. "We have business to do, and we start now." Darkness was coming, and they were going to crave a path of blood and bone for it.


	11. We Three

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

––

Lock scouted out the area of the woods where they were staying as Shock made a hidden nest for Oogie's main bug, and Barrel looked over the map they had found of Storybrooke, finding the location of the house where Regina Mills lived, finding City Hall where she worked, and where the other traitors were housed. He then made notes on how to infiltrate those places. They had a lot of work to do, but the most important thing they had to obtain was the girl. She was the key. She was the happy human with the blood of a monster running through her veins, but more essentially the blood of Oogie Boogie.

"I'll go after the girl," Shock told her brothers. "I have more talent dealing with people like her than either of you two."

"I could easily get the girl," Lock retorted. "A little drop of my homemade serum in her drink, and she won't be able to do anything. It'd only take a second."

"And how do you expect to get close enough to put that serum in her drink? And how exactly would you get her out of the area she was in, undetected?" Shock snapped, rolling her eyes. "I will go for the girl."

"And the boy?" Barrel glanced from his brother to his sister.

"We have no need of the boy, or his heart," Shock spat, annoyed at how stupid her brothers were. Why was she cursed with morons? "The plan is the get the girl, and I will get the girl while you bafoons try and locate the sack, all right?"

Barrel scoffed. "If we have the boy, morons, we can distract Regina and Emma, making the girl easier to secure. They won't be there to protect her."

Shock narrowed her eyes and looked her brother over. "That's actually a good idea."

"Well, I try." He shifted. "I think you should get the boy, Shock."

"And why do you think that?"

"You can lure him in with your charms," Lock snorted.

She smacked him in the head. "I can and will lure him in with my charms, and you can go for the girl. Barrel..." She hesitated. She didn't trust him to find the sack. He had the attention span of a worm, and that was on a good day. She would rather do it herself, but that would leave her brother with Henry. Lock was too brash. He would alert Henry that something was wrong, and they couldn't afford to be found out before they had the girl. No, it would have to be her. She was more...subtle than her brothers, and hopefully the mark was weakening the girl so she wouldn't have enough blood of her own to think Lock was acting suspicious. Barrel could stumble around while they were at work, and once they had the girl and boy, they could all search together. They worked better together—if they weren't at each other's throats.

"Lock should look for Oogie's body," Barrel persuaded. "I can get the girl."

Lock and Shock exchanged looks then bellowing laughs escaped their throats, and Barrel clenched his jaw. They laughed themselves into tears and then some, and Barrel just waited, so very used to them thinking he wasn't capable of anything. They were mistaken. He was rather competent. He was better than them. They were just too arrogant to see that. They only saw the mistakes he made, but when he didn't make mistake, it was as if they were blind. They would see this time. He would be the favored one this time.

"Why in hell would we let you go for the girl?" Lock looked at his brother, curiously. "Hmmm?"

"I'm better at blending in," he informed them.

"Blending in?" Shock wiped a tear from her eye. "Do you know how many plans your "blending in" has screwed up? You blend in as well as snow does in a desert. Lock will find and obtain the girl. You just stay here and keep him hidden."

"It's a big job, protecting the master, but I think you can do that. With your magic..." He trailed off and met his sister's eyes. "His magic."

They all had their talents. Lock, the oldest of the triplets, could make locks bend to his will. Lock could dismantle any and every lock, even if he had never seen it before; likewise he could create a lock that nobody could even begin to unbolt. Each of his precious locks were sturdy and unique, not even magic could remove them. Shock, the middle child who did little to sooth the arguments between her older and younger siblings, could work lightening like no other. She was born with a lightening heart and could channel it to any point in her body. She could incapacitate a giant with the tip of her finger, or burn an entire city off the map with the most dangerous of lightening storms. Her skill with lightening danced in her eyes, which blew her cover from time to time, but she was learning to control that. She had no need in their present, but she would need it here. As for Barrel, the youngest and most useless of the triplets, had a way with magic. It was wildly precarious, but when he could control it, all hell broke loose. He had been training for years with one of the men Oogie had...taken in, and he could do a lot of damage as well as heal the most severe of wounds. His latest trick was capturing people with their pet bathtub.

It was perfect. They could cloak the bathtub with invisibility and haul the girl right here without anybody noticing. Lock could explore the town in the shadows, find out what the Queen and Savior were doing, Shock could apprehend the boy, and Barrel could locate and capture the girl. With them split up, it would shorten their time on hunting, and as they were using the boy as bait, they could end the Queen and Savior when they came to save him. They knew every attack they had up their sleeve while Regina and Emma didn't know a single one of theirs in this time. Once the "heros" of this town were gone, Oogie Boogie's reign would be eternal, and darkness would return to its rightful place.

Dark chuckles were exchanged among the trio before they parted was to do what must be done for their master. They would watch them first then make their move. They had to plan, had to get a feel of these people and learn when was the exact moment to strike. The hunters were being hunted, and before they even suspected it was happening, it would be over.

– – –

"No, you have to roll it." Henry laughed, wiping flour off his cheek.

"I am rolling it." Serah gestured to the dough in front of her.

"You're just...a little rough. Here, do it a little more gently, like this." He rolled the dough he was responsible for and she watched. "It's not a battle, Serah. See."

"All right, get out of here. You're getting cocky."

He chuckled. "Go on."

"Maybe I don't need dessert," she decided.

"Oh, come on, it's easy."

"I miss magic already." She exhaled then shook her hands like Emma did and gripped the roller. "Do not laugh. This is the first time I've ever used kitchen...appliance, so stop it."

"It's a good thing we waited to cut the apples."

"I will cook you." She pointed the roller at him. "Butter or gravy?"

Regina smiled to herself, watching Henry and Serah mess around in the kitchen. They were having dinner in a short while, and Henry wanted something sweet, and he wanted Serah to do something normal, something fun, so they were making apple turnovers. They were having roast for dinner, and Regina had invited over Ms. Swan and Hook. Mostly, because Hook would come as he followed her around like a puppy, and Regina needed someone to distract Henry for a bit. She and Serah needed to talk, and she didn't want Henry to overhear their conversation.

"Are you two going to be done any time soon?" Regina called into the kitchen, setting up the dining table.

"Yes! I give up, so Henry's making them, and I am just going to cut the apples!"

"So, teamwork then?"

"Unequal teamwork," Henry grumbled.

She smirked. "You offered."

Regina set the last fork down and walked into the kitchen. "No fighting. Here, I'll do this. Henry, why don't you get the glasses?"

"Okay. Lemme just wash my hands first." He flicked flour at Serah.

"Don't you dare!" She moved back.

"I'm not doing anything."

She started to turn, but he did it again. "You know what?" She reached across the counter for the small bowl of flour.

"No, no, no, no!" Regina moved in between them. "Henry, wash your hands, and Serah, remember how old you are."

"He started it."

"Well, I ended it."

Serah smiled. "Fine. I'll be right back." She wiped her hands on a dishtowel, set it on the counter and headed upstairs to the bathroom.

"Good job, Mom."

"There's still extra flour out," she warned teasingly. "Wash up."

––

Serah washed her hands, picking the dough out from under her nails, and she glanced in the mirror. She wanted to remember this—this moment, this feeling, this smile—because it might be the last time she felt like this. This might be the last time she felt anything. She wanted to hold onto that for the rest of her days, no matter how limited they were.

_All right, enough depressing stuff._ She exited the bathroom and padded down the stairs, finding Emma and Mary Margaret and baby Neal. She stopped at the last step. "Hey."

"Hey." Emma stepped toward her. "How do you feel?"

"Hungry." She came off the last step. "Dinner will be ready soon. It's my first time trying roast. Well, decent roast anyway. Is Killian not joining us?"

"No, no, he couldn't make it." Emma shrugged a shoulder. "But Mom and Neal were free, so here we are."

Serah crossed her arms. "Is something going on?"

"No. Why would you say that?" Mary Margaret looked her over.

"Because you two can't lie to save your lives." She shrugged a shoulder. "And I know your tells. What's going on?"

"Dinner is going on." Regina stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "Serah, come and help me with the plates."

"Sure." She dropped her arms and followed her mom back to the kitchen. She gave a small smile to Henry, though her eyes were locked on her mom's face, but she didn't say anything. She just took food to the dining room silently and she took a seat beside Henry as they ate with curt conversation. It was just like before, only with better food, better conditions and less people. It was depressing. This whole experience was just dismal, but the most...heartbreaking part of it was...the end of it. When this mission was complete, when they could resume their normal lives... Heh, their normal lives. Her eyes drifted to Emma, and she felt a lump forming in her throat.

Regina noticed how Serah picked at her meal, her eyes empty, expression dead yet full of conflicting emotions. She knew what was going on inside her head, and she knew how to sooth those thoughts. She didn't say anything to Serah during the dinner, not even during dessert when Serah pushed her plate away and excused herself to the kitchen. She wanted to be alone with Serah, and she didn't want anybody interrupting them. She needed to speak to her, and Serah needed anybody to speak to soon.

Once the dishes were washed and the leftovers put away, Regina and Henry walked Snow and Emma out. Serah was still in the kitchen, but said goodbye as they walked toward the door. They said their goodbyes, Henry hugged his Grandmother and Mother goodbye, and Emma gave a smile to Regina before leaving. Henry locked the door and saw his mom eyeing Serah, so he knew it was time for him to disappear. It was getting late, and they had a serious day ahead of them. He hoped this got him out of school.

"All right, I'm gonna wash up and go to bed." He stepped toward the stairs. "Good night, Mom."

"Good night, Henry." She smiled at him and gave him a brief hug. "Sleep well."

"You too. Good night, Serah!"

"Night," she called back.

He turned and padded up the stairs, really exhausted after such a good meal and the day they had had. He was pleased he would have this memories with him. He would tell Serah about them when he saw her again as her big brother. It was going to be great. He wouldn't let go of these memories, just like he would never let go of the memory of his father. He scratched the back of his head and entered his room, closing the door.

"It's late." Regina cupped her elbows in the doorway to the kitchen. "Let's get your bed made up, so you can get some sleep."

"Okay." Serah followed her mom, turning off the lights to the kitchen on her way, and they made their to Regina's bedroom. She saw the bed on the floor with packaged sheet and folded blanket resting on top of it. She grabbed the sheet and opened it as her mom set the blanket on the floor by Serah. Back home, she had to make her bed every single day, or Belle would get on her. Belle always thought things would go back to how they were, and they should have the habit of making making their beds. She didn't understand it, but she always made her bed. It brought a smile to Belle's lips, and she grew into the habit of making her bed before training and breakfast.

"That's the sheet." Regina gently took it from Serah. "You get on that side, and we'll just tuck it under."

"I know how to make a bed." She moved hair out of her face and stepped to the other end. "Belle made us make our beds every day."

"Good, one less thing I have to do."

Serah smiled a little and grasped the sheet from her mom, bending down and tucking it under the mattress. "Do you ever make your bed?"

"Every morning." She slipped hair behind her ear. "I used to have servants to do that for me, but clearly I don't anymore."

"You could hire a maid."

"Please, if they came, they wouldn't sit through the interview. I'm still...questionable to some of the people here."

"It was an idea." She smoothed out the creases on the sheet before picking up one of the blankets and unfolding it. "And I don't think that's true. I think these people trust you."

"You think or you know?"

She shrugged a shoulder. She knew it for a fact. The people didn't waste any time in making Regina their leader, with Emma by her side as an equal of course, but still they chose her. She wished her mom could see how good she was. "Do... do you ever miss it?"

"Miss it? The Enchanted Forest?" Serah nodded. "No, I don't."

"Not even the castle? Or...your bedroom? Or your favorite field or something?" She flipped the blanket. "Nothing?"

"Nothing." She grabbed a pillow from her bed and handed it to her daughter. "If I could be there and still have what I have here, I'd say no."

"Why?"

"Because this world is Henry's world, and it's mine now too. It's become a part of me, and this is where my life is. I don't need a castle." She reached out and ran her hand over Serah's hair. "I don't need anything but what I already have and what I _will_ have."

She smiled a little and stepped back. "Hey, I want to give you something."

"A gift? What for?"

"Well, I just remembered I had it. Hang on." She hurried from the room and to the living room, grabbing her backpack. She returned to her mom and sat down on her mom's bed, ripping the cloth inside her bag. She had it fixed with magic before she put the scarf inside, but the material was still thin. She pulled out a green and blue plaid scarf. "Uh, it belonged to Robin. You gave it to me for my 12th birthday." She held it out. "Here, I want you to have it."

"No, I couldn't possibly—"

"Yes, you can. I don't need this. It's a scarf from a man I don't even remember, but you do. You love him, and it's only right you have it." She held it out again, and Regina accepted it.

"Thank you, Serah." Her lips caressed a bittersweet smile, and she cleared her throat. "Well, I don't think I have anything that matches this." Regina wrapped the scarf around her neck. "Yet."

"Yet. I'm sure you'll find something." Serah crossed her legs and set her bag in her lap, watching her mom as she ran her fingers over the well-kept scarf. It made her happy that her mom liked the scarf, but with that happiness came sadness, as it always did. For all she knew, the window of her parents getting together was closed, never to be opened again."Will you wait for me?" Serah whispered so softly, not sure she even heard herself, her eyes staring at the gray sheets on the bed, wide and misty. Someone very dear to her had their window slammed shut right in front of her. She was young, but she dreamed about it often.

Regina removed the scarf, not having heard Serah, but she could see her. She set the scarf down on the foot of the bed and took the place beside her daughter. She reached over and brushed the hairs back from Serah's face and over her shoulder; Serah turned to look at her mom, tears filling her eyes, and Regina brushed away a tear that fell free. She could almost feel the pain that was knotting itself tighter and tighter inside Serah, and there was nothing she or anybody could do. They just had to fix this mess. It would all be better then.

Serah lowered her head and sobbed, Regina enveloped her daughter in a tight embrace and let her just cry. There were so many thoughts and fears running through Serah but none of them had to do with her. She feared for them—her family, the people in the town, the strangers outside the town. She was drowning in thoughts of them. She had known from the start this wasn't going to be easy—nothing ever was—but she knew when it happened, when it was over, it would leave a scar. A scar that would mark the land, this town and these people. She wished that it would all just vanish. She didn't want him to linger in this land. He didn't deserve to. She knew what she had to do now, and she knew now why she was given the items she was given.

They were lying down on the bed, facing each other, Serah was exhausted both physically and emotionally, and Regina wished she would talk to her. She wanted to help, but she didn't know what was bothering her. She just knew Serah had a sad soul. It reflected the world she was born into. Perhaps even the soul of Regina. It would take time to heal that sad soul; time they didn't have.

A beat.

"You know my name's not Serah," she whispered, not wanting to raise her voice, her words too heavy.

"I know." Regina nodded.

"Serah was the name Emma had chosen for her daughter."

"Emma—has a daughter too?"

"Yes. Emma had a daughter." She knew Emma didn't even like to think about Serah. One day she just pushed herself forward and didn't think about her losses unless they overwhelmed her, and even then she didn't think of Serah. It was too difficult. The trauma of losing Serah... If Emma were to feel that sorrow, she would drown in it. She wouldn't be able to get out of bed, let alone defend the people who were her family now. That's why Emma never spoke of Serah, never thought of her, and it took her a long time to understand why Emma acted that way. She used to get so furious with Emma, used to demand she stop acting as though Serah never existed, and Mom would make her apologize and send her to her room. She would get huffy and bitter, but she was just a kid. She didn't understand then. If only she could have apologized to Emma before she left, let her know she understood. She knew Emma knew she loved her. Emma was another mother to her, but Emma deserved to be a mother to the real Serah. With any luck, Serah or whatever new name they give her or him would have a chance, would be happy and grow old surrounded by grandchildren. She would make that so.

"Had a daughter... Serah didn't make it, did she?" Regina reached over and tangled her fingers in the strands of her daughter's hair, speaking low.

"No." Killian was never the same after that. He mourned every day he was alive, and he didn't try to get close to any of the kids. He kept his distance from everyone save the adults, and even then he had his walls up. He was a living dead man. He tried to be there as much as he could, but it was difficult for him to see them all flourish and grow when Serah never would. He couldn't even look in the mirror to shave, because Serah's features favored him. His eyes haunted her to this day. The eyes of her best friend. "She was tough and had a bit of magic herself, but Oogie took that from her. He didn't mark her, just...drained her. Erased her but at the same time seemed to have absorbed her."

"You saw that happen?"

"We were all rushing to the vault with what little food we had gathered, and he cut us off. David tried to get to her, but it was too late. It was too late from the beginning of the battle." Her eyes told Regina she lost in the memory of that day. "It was as if he knew exactly what we were going to do before we did it. As if he had a connection to our thoughts. He even managed to cut Killian off, and no one knows what he's going to do next. He's unpredictable."

"Foresight?"

"No, I don't think so." She scoffed. "Hell, maybe he does have foresight." He had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. That rotten son of a bitch.

"Then wouldn't he know we were planning to send you to this time to stop him?" Regina sat up. "Wouldn't he try and stop you?"

"He _did _try. He and his goons showed up and attacked in the middle of the spell to send me back here. I think Henry and Mulan kept them at bay until the spell went through."

"No. No, we have to assume he planned it to work out that way." She slid off the bed and dug out her cell phone from her pocket. "I'll call Emma and Belle. We'll meet in the morning, discuss this."

"No!" Serah shot up. "No, please no! Not Serah, don't tell her about Serah!"

"I won't. I—I couldn't." Regina couldn't bare to see Emma endure that knowledge. "That was just between us."

"Do you swear?"

"I swear."

"Give me your hand." Serah held her hand out, and Regina repressed an eyeroll, taking the outstretched hand. Serah locked eyes with her mom and covered her mom's hand with both of hers, using the little magic left in the ring her mother had given her for this very purpose to bury a seed in her mom. A seed that knew exactly when to blossom. And for herself, Serah erased a memory from her mind and everything that was attached that memory that could risk it coming back. Serah gave up the memory of playing with her mom, laughing but still preparing. They were always preparing, but that time was special. They had fun, real mother-daughter bonding fun. And slipping out of her mind, soon to be gone forever. It was a sacrifice she had to make for the greater good.

––

The call had been made, the meeting was set for seven at the library, and Regina had insisted everyone be there. She hung up and looked over her shoulder. She covered Serah with the blanket and set her bag on the floor. She must have fallen asleep during the phone call on Regina's bed, and Regina didn't feel like waking her to ask her to move. It didn't matter. A bed was bed, and as long as Regina had room and Serah didn't kick, it didn't matter. She exited the room to go wash her face and have a glass of wine before bed. She really needed it.

As Regina's shadow disappeared on the wall in the hall, Serah rolled onto her back, the ring she wore lost color and the dimed green gem cracked. She softly breathed, dreaming of pleasant nothing, entirely unaware of the girl in the room with her. The girl whose eyes lit up purple, whose dark smile seemed to cast a shadow over Serah.


	12. And So It's You

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

––

_Many years ago in a land not entirely unlike the Enchanted Forest, a town that was solely dedicated to celebrating Halloween rested in thick fog and betrayal. Oogie Boogie had overcome his fear and once more tried to take over Halloween Town, once more tried to resurrect his holiday, his beloved Bug Day, having honed his skills over the many years. He was going to be important. He was going to be celebrated._

_However his plans and his powers simply weren't enough. Jack Skellington once again overwhelmed him, once again Jack Skellington had the upper hand. And this time it wasn't Oogie who paid the price. He had a secret that **nobody** knew. A secret that he had to keep hidden from even himself, he'd forced himself forget, made that secret nothing more than a dream that would eventually fade into the darkness of his mind. Oogie Boogie was not the only Boogie out there. He had a sister, one that Jack Skellington had gotten his hands on. Hands that were annoyed at Oogie, hands that had had enough of Oogie, hands that were now covered with the blood of Oogie's sister._

_And they would have been covered with Oogie Boogie's blood as well, but he had managed to escape. Weakened. Broken. Filled to the brim with a boiling—burning—red hot need for revenge with whatever else was left of him. What Jack Skellington had done not only changed Jack but Oogie. It had changed how he viewed Jack and how Oogie would plan from now on. It would seem he and Jack had quite a bit in common, and it was time to play. There would be **no** holding back. There would be **no** mercy._

– – –

Serah woke up to light shining on her face, birds loudly chirping, and she looked over, seeing her mom asleep beside her. She exhaled and pushed herself up, feeling a bit lightheaded. She tossed the blankets back and slipped out of bed, heading for the bathroom. She needed to wash up. They had a meeting at some point. She could remember her mom talking about it, but it was all hazy. She slept so hard. Mmm, that bed was really comfortable. She just wanted to crawl back under the covers and sleep forever. Maybe she would one day, but only for a few more hours, not forever.

She washed and dried her face, still a bit weary. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, slapping her cheeks trying to wake up as she made her way back to her mom's room to wake her up. She could remember this when she was a young girl, and she ran to her mom's room, the cement floor of the vault cold on her bare feet. She had braids then, braids braided by Maleficent who had done the same with Serah and sometimes Henry when his hair got too long and he slept like a bear. She'd slip into his room and braid all of his hair then slip back out before he woke up. He never noticed in the morning, and it always made them laugh. That's probably why Mal did it, for a laugh. It always made the mornings brighter.

She could remember the cold. Her thin nightgown, which had sheep and clouds sewn on by Mary Margaret, did nothing to keep her warm, just clothed. She was very excited about something, but she couldn't remember what. She was just running, and it was so frigid, but she was so happy that it didn't even matter to her.

_She pushed the door to her mother's room open with a grunt as it was heavy and she wasn't strong. Entering, she found her mother wide awake on her bed, shaking, her long hair sticking to the sweat on her brow, and Emma was holding her, soothing her. Her deep brown eyes were round and dark, they appeared to be black as coal, and they were filled with such terror. She just watched from the doorway, completely unnoticed by them, and her excitement, her rare happiness, died. It sank deep inside of her as she observed her mother, whose was always strong, always composed, shudder and struggle to breathe. She didn't understand what she was seeing, so she could only watch._

_Emma saw her standing there and shouted for her mother, and Mary Margaret came running. She picked her up and carried her out of the room, rubbing her back as if she should feel sad or scared. She didn't feel either, just shock . How could someone like her mother...break?_

_Mary Margaret set her down in her bedroom and smiled at her, "Hey, honey. What woke you up? It's late."_

_She shrugged. She didn't remember, and all she could think about was her mom. She wanted to be with her mom. She wanted to be with Emma soothing her mom. She didn't want her to be sad. She didn't want her to have nightmares. She wanted her to be happy, as happy as she was when she ran to her room. Was she ever happy?_

"_Why don't I get you some warm milk? We can spare a bit. Would you like that?"_

"_I guess."_

"_Wait here." She left the room to get her some warm milk._

_She slid back on her bed and pulled the blanket over her cold feet, one braid falling over her shoulder. She exhaled and lied down. She couldn't tell time. Belle was going to teach her next week, so she didn't know what time it was. It was too dark to see what the clock read anyway._

"_Hey." It was Emma this time. "What's up?"_

"_Uh-uh."_

_Emma chuckled. "That is not an answer." She climbed into the bed with her and and wrapped an arm around her. "Tell me what's going on inside your head."_

"_I'm confused."_

"_About?"_

"_What was going on with Mom?" _

"_She's been having nightmares for a while now." Emma rubbed her thumb along the young girl's shoulder, like she used to when she was a baby. "They've gotten worse, and tonight..." She didn't finish._

"_Why didn't she tell me?"_

"_She didn't want you to worry. She wanted to keep you and Henry out of it. We both wanted to you two out of this, but I guess this couldn't be avoided." She rested her head on the pillow. "Ever since your dad passed, Regina has faced horrible nightmares. She hasn't slept through the night in a long time, so I gave her something to help her sleep. You saw the result."_

"_What kind of nightmares?"_

"_Dark stuff, like spiders and worms." Emma began to tickle her. "And rats." _

"_Stop!" She giggled and tried to get away._

"_Can't forget beetles." _

_She squealed and tried to wriggle away, the blankets now kicked to the bottom of the bed, the pillow pushed off, and Emma was laughing. She was going to keep her out of this. She had been through so much at such a young age, and Emma wouldn't put her through anything else. She was a kid, and she needed to do things that kids do. She needed to laugh and play like kids do. She needed a childhood Emma and Regina never got; and no matter how shitty the world was, Emma was going to do her best to ensure she would have just a small chuck of a normal childhood._

"_Well, I guess I should have made two cups." Mary Margaret smirked at her daughter. "She's supposed to be sleeping."_

"_She is." Emma looked very serious. "Aren't you? You're exhausted."_

"_Very." She nodded, yawning for effect._

"_Yeah, I might believe that if you both were such crappy lairs." She bent down. "Here, drink this. I added some cinnamon for flavor."_

"_Thanks." She sat up. "I'll go back to bed when this is gone, okay?"_

"_Okay." She brushed messy hair out of the young girl's face. "Get some sleep." She lifted her eyes to her daughter. "I'll check on Regina."_

"_Okay. I'll—I'll stay with her tonight." Emma picked up the pillow. "Thanks, Mom."_

_She nodded. "Sleep, both of you."_

"_We will." Emma accepted the cup from her mom and cooled it off with magic so it wouldn't burn her lips or tongue. "All right, kiddo, drink up."_

"_Good night." Mary Margaret opened the door and glanced back, smiling at the children in the bed. Emma would always be a child to her, even if she was about to become a mother again. _

_Emma removed the braids from her hair as she drank the milk, brushing out the curls left behind, and once the milk was gone, she placed the cup on the nightstand. She curled up with the young girl whose eyelids kept dropping lower and lower, and she fell asleep all at once, warm and safe in the arms of someone who loved her. Emma knew Regina wanted to be here, but Regina wasn't stable enough right now, and her magic wasn't stable either. When Emma went to wake her, Regina burned Emma's forearm. They both knew she might do the same—or worse—to her, so Emma came and Regina was trying to calm with the storm inside of her that was seeping out the help of Mal and Snow. Maybe next time. _

She ran her hand over her face and pushed the door open to her mom's room, lowering her hand to find a man in the window. "What the hell?" She stood still. "Who are you?"

He just looked at her. "So it's you then."

"Yes, it's me. Now the hell are you?" She grabbed the switchblade from her boot and grabbed him, slamming him against the wall, her arm digging into his collarbone. "I don't play around, so answer me."

"Serah," Regina called from downstairs.

She stared at the man she had pinned, taking in his features, and she stepped back, recognizing him. "You're one of his men. You're one of the trio."

"I am. Barrel." He tilted his head, running his eyes over her, studying her too.

"The screw up." She tightened her grip on her blade. "I remember you. You tried to kill me when I was twelve."

"You were in the way of a very important mission, but it's a good thing I didn't."

"And what does that mean?"

He smiled. "You've grown up well."

"Yeah, so has my right arm." She threw the knife at him, but he vanished into thin air and the knife landed in the wall. She groaned and ran a hand through her hair. She hated digging knives out of walls, but her blade was sharp, so it would be brief task. She just had to explain to her mom why there was a hole in her wall.

She grabbed her knife and padded down the stairs. "Sorry, I—I had a...rogue knife."

"Rogue knife?"

"Yeah, I kinda...threw it at your wall." She winced, preparing herself for her mom to yell. "I'm so sorry. It left a hole."

She inhaled and held it for a moment then shook her head. "It's...fine. We have to go meet the others at the library. Why don't you shower and just grab something of mine to wear? I'll get breakfast and swing back to pick you and Henry up."

"Great. I'll be as quick as I can."

"Take your time. Granny's not known for speed." She smiled. "Wake Henry for me."

She nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be back in about twenty minutes." She adjusted her watch and walked toward the door. "Don't have anymore rogue knife moments, all right?"

"Cross my heart." She watched her mom leave then turned and marched up the stairs, making as much noise as possible, because waking Henry was like waking a corpse. That probably didn't change. "Henry!" She opened his door, and he groaned. "Wake up."

"Uhh."

"Henry Daniel Mills." She flicked the light on and plopped down on his bed. "It's time to get up. We have a meeting."

"I'll get up then." He pulled the covers over his head.

"It's at the library, and we have twenty minutes, so up." She shook him and yanked on the covers. "C'mon."

"Fine, fine." He rolled over. "I'm up."

"You'd better stay up. Mom's coming back in a few minutes, and I'm taking a shower, so if I have to wake you up again, you'll regret it."

"Yeah, okay." He rubbed his eyes. "You look happy."

"Hmm?" She smiled a bit. "I—I guess I am."

"I'm glad...sis."

She made a face. "Don't ever call me sis."

"Yeah, it felt weird. I just wanted to try it out."

"We don't do the bro/sis thing. We just..." Train? Kill enemies together? Bond over stitching each other up when Marian was too busy with a worse injury? She couldn't tell him that, so it was either lie to him or make something up. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter since I won't remember what we called each other next time, so just make something up for me. No bro/sis, all right?"

"All right." He yawned.

"Seriously."

"I promise."

"Good." She rose off the bed, pausing at the feel of the knife in her boot. Barrel came here today with intentions unknown to her. He may return again. He may come for Henry, for Mom, but Mom could protect herself with magic whereas Henry couldn't. Henry has no powers, has no sword abilities in this time. He told her to keep a knife on her before she left, so it was time to repay the favor. She dug the knife out of her boot. "Hey, do me a favor."

"I'll get up."

"No, I want you to carry this. At all times." She tossed the knife at him. "Just in case."

"In case of what?" He was wide awake, holding the switch blade in his hand.

"In case they—uh, anyone comes for you. We don't know what will happen next—we haven't known this entire damn time—so keep that on you. I don't want you getting hurt."

"What about you? You don't have magic."

"I'll grab something from Gold's shop. I doubt Belle will mind. A blade's a blade, and I'll be polite when I ask." She shrugged and strolled to the bathroom. She actually had another in her left boot. She took Henry's words to heart. He was never wrong when it came to protection, so why would he be wrong about carrying a weapon at all times? As if he...knew she wouldn't have magic. How in the hell would he have known that? She trained to conserve energy, so if she caught in a hard place, she would have enough power to stop them. Or to flee. Henry knew that, so why take a knife? Did he know about the trio following her? Did he know? Did _they_ know?

She looked at her reflection, seeing all of her family in herself, and she felt lost. Did they lie to her? Did they know more than they told her? If they knew Regina and Belle and Emma of the past would have to bind her magic, because the mark would spread and she would lose control of herself, why didn't they tell her? What more were they hiding?

– – –

_After years of planning and studying, Oogie was ready to avenge his fallen sister. He had a flawless plan to kill Jack and hang him up with the rest of the skeletons in his chamber. He was tired of waiting and now was the best moment to strike. Everything had fallen perfectly into place. It was time._

_With the help of the Mad Hatter, Rumpelstiltskin was able to reach Halloween Town for a specific ingredient. He needed it for a poison, one that would help him get a step closer to his ultimate goal. He didn't want to stay in this town any longer than he had to. Time was different here, and while he had a lot of time on his rather talented hands, he couldn't afford to waste time. Not for this poison. _

_Nevertheless, as Rumpelstiltskin knew, everyone wanted **something.** As for the men he encountered in that land, a Jack Skellington and a Dr. Finklestein as it were, wanted him to take care of what they called Oogie Boogie. He didn't want to dirty his hands, and he didn't want to waste time, so he simply used the Sorcerer's Hat to take care of him. Both parties were satisfied by this, and he left with what he needed._

– – –

Serah sat in between where her mother stood and where Henry shifted his weight back and forth, just listening to the tones, not the words, and she kept thinking about the knife that was digging into her calf. She couldn't focus. She couldn't believe she had been lied to by her family. She couldn't believe this was happening. The world seemed so gray, and she felt sick, dizzy. She couldn't—wouldn't wrap her mind around the possibility her family may have held back integral information from her. They sent her here. They sent her to this time knowing what a risk she would be. What the fu—?

"Serah?" Regina was worried. She had said her name several times, but only now did it seem to register in her eyes that she could hear them. What was she thinking about so deeply? "Are you all right?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Do you know how Oogie got into our town?" Belle repeated the question. "From what you remember, do you recall how that happened? Or maybe you overheard—"

"He came from a hat," she interrupted Belle. "I don't know what hat since the only hat I know about was the Sorting Hat, so you're on your own in the hat hunt."

"A hat?" Henry looked at his moms then his sister. "Like the Sorcerer's Hat or the Mad Hatter's Hat?"

"I just said I don't know which hat." She tried not to sound so curt. She wasn't mad at him. "Sorry, I just know it's a hat." She looked at Belle. "Why don't you just look it up? I'm sure there's an answer in there."

"Well, I was asking you."

"Well, I'll just ask you since you have the journal and all. Why didn't they tell me they knew exactly what would happen to me here?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?" Belle exchanged glances with both Emma and Regina.

"You know, tell me my fortune, read me some signs!" She rose so abruptly her chair fell back, the chatter echoing in the room as they all stared at her, startle. "Just... just give me the journal."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Belle rose as well. "We can talk about what's in it—"

"No, you'll just lie and make up what I want to hear! Give me the damn book!"

"Serah, enough." Regina gripped her wrist lightly and pulled her toward the stacks, setting her hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. What's wrong? What are you talking about?"

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! You know, and she knows, so why I can't know? Why can't I _ever_ know what the hell is going on?!" She could feel her breaths leaving in a harsh, curt manner as the world around her started to piss her off, and she stared at her mom, wanting answers. She was tired of being babied. She could handle the truth. They couldn't. They _never_ could. "_Tell me_!"

"Serah, there's nothing to tell. The book just tells us bits and pieces of—"

"Then let me read it! What's the worst thing that can happen?"

"We—we can't let you."

"Why not?"

"In her writing, Belle told us to not let you read the book, to keep you from it, because there was a lot you don't know. We can talk about it, but we believe it's best you don't read it directly." Regina peered back as Emma approached them.

"We'll tell you all about it, kid." She smiled a little. "You have my word."

Serah knocked her mom's hands off her shoulders. "We. We. _We!_ I'm never apart of that we. I'm just a tool to be used and discarded—_we_ know that, don't we?" She scoffed. "Fine, I'll do this myself." She used a little of the magic in the swan necklace to call the book to her. "Don't follow me!" She disappeared into smoke.

"What the hell?!" Emma jolted slightly.

"I thought her magic was bound," Mary Margaret said, a scoff in her tone. "What was that?"

"We thought we did. Either she lied about it working, or..." Her eyes travelled to Belle, who was gaping at them like the rest of them. "Or there's something we don't know."

"We happen to not know a lot." Charming crossed his arms. "We'll worry about this later. Where we would she go?"

"How should I know?" Regina was trying to figure out how in the hell that just happened. "She clearly is keeping secrets."

"Well, there's only one real way to find the lass: look for her." Killian pushed off the back wall. "Emma and I will take the woods."

"David and I will search the town," Mary Margaret offered. "Belle, could you watch Neal? I told Granny we'd be back in an hour."

"Yeah, that's fine." Belle nodded.

"I'll check the vault." Henry met his mom's eyes. "We can check it together."

"Yeah." Regina rubbed her arms. "Let's go. The sooner we find her the better." Regina was struck with an overwhelming wave of déjà vu. How long did they have Serah on their side before she poofed out?

– – –

Serah fell to her knees deep in the woods, panting and gripping her shoulder, the book below her. She didn't have enough magic to both bring the book to her and teleport here. She had a rough landing. Son of a bitch. Blood seeped through her fingers and dripped onto the leather of the book, she groaned and sat back, her hair sticking to her lips. She applied more pressure to the wound on her shoulder and grabbed the book with her free hand, pulling in her knees and resting it there.

Flipping her hair so it was out of her face, she opened the journal and began to read over it, working her jacket off to tend to the gash on her shoulder at the same time. She had mastered the art of multitasking when she was ten, so it wasn't a challenging task. She had a salve that Marian had made her, and she kept that too in her boot. It would stop the bleeding, and she could get on with reading this. She would know what they were hiding. She had to know.

––

Barrel sat opposite to Serah, hidden in the shadows of the tree they shared, and he listened to the pages rustle in the breeze, her adorable short, pained gasps. He reached over and his fingertips found the cold blood that had dripped from her shoulder. He rubbed his fingers together, feeling the blood of his master slowly sliding down his fingers and slipping under his nails. He closed his eyes and listened as she read, and he smiled, summoning bathtub to him.

_And now I have you_, he smirked.


	13. The Price Of Black Magic

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

––

"I say we should put some sort of tracking device on the girl," Hook said to Emma as they headed out.

"I spoke to Regina about it, but she said no." She shrugged into her coat. "We'll probably find her. She likes the woods, so she'll probably be in the spot where Ruby found her. We should check that out first."

Hook glanced at Emma, and she noticed, but he didn't say anything for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Emma smirked and turned to him, "All right, what are you thinking?"

"What if the mark isn't contained? What if he's still in there? Giving her power, controlling her? What if this is all apart of some elaborate plan, and we're just playing right into his hands?"

Emma's brows furrowed. "It might be, but I doubt it. I—I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around Oogie Boogie as this ultimate evil. I can't separate the two in my head." She crossed her arms. "If we are playing by his rules then...there's not much we can do. We have a limited amount of information on him, and there's nobody here to tell us anything about. Belle's journal has been a great help, but it's...not enough. And it's...imbued with magic, constantly changing from person to person, and it's ridiculous and—and amazing."

"There must be a trick to it."

"If there is one, I haven't figured it out yet." She sighed.

"You'll find a way."

"Let's hope." Belle couldn't even crack the code, nor Regina. There was something they were missing, or maybe not. She couldn't even begin to guess what the hell Belle had in mind when she wrote that damn book. Answers that lead to questions that lead to bemusement and more questions. They were getting nowhere, but they were gathering pieces along the way. Pieces that didn't connect. Would they ever?

– – –

"We both know she won't be in the vault." Henry caught up to his mom. "Or in town. She's too careful—"

"—paranoid—" Regina amended.

"—to go down there, or hide in town somewhere. She'd know we'd check there, so she'd go somewhere we haven't found her in. So where would she go?" He gazed up at his mom.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Because you raised her. You might not remember it, but it was still you. If I had magic and was the last hope, what would you have taught me to do when scared? Where would you have suggested I go?"

She huffed but thought about it for a moment. Knowing that Robin had died before Serah could really remember him meant it was just Regina and Emma and Belle raising her. Belle was mostly likely all about the books, and Regina all about magic, but Emma... Emma was good at running, at hiding. Emma would know where to find Serah, even if she hadn't been there for a long time, even if she didn't think it was an important memory.

"What's?" Henry saw an idea playing in her eyes.

"We need to find Emma."

"Mom? Why?"

"Because she may have told Serah where to run to."

"Well, she's with Hook in the woods. Let's go find them."

"Henry." She set a hand on his shoulder. "I need you to find David and Mary Margaret and tell them where I'm going then I want you to join Belle and stay with her."

"What? Why?"

"Henry, you saw what Serah did, how she held back on us. I don't know how much she's still holding back. I won't let you get hurt, so stay with Belle. Henry, I mean it."

"Oh, come on, Mom! She won't hurt me, or any of you. I know she won't. She's just confused and—and scared. We don't know what she's thinking—"

"Which is exactly why you need to be with Belle and nowhere near her. Don't argue with me, Henry. We don't have time for this."

"Mom, she won't hurt me. She wants us to be safe! She even gave me a knife to protect myself."

"What?" She frowned.

"This morning..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the switchblade. "She wanted me to be safe, so she gave me this. See? She wants us to be all right. I'm sure whatever she made her react that way was just..." He really had no way to finish this sentence. If he could just make her see that all Serah did was for their future good. Instead he just felt like a broken record.

"She...just gave you a knife?" Regina took it from Henry.

"She gave it to me, because I don't have magic. She wanted me to be able to protect myself in case—in case you and Mom aren't around, which you can't be all the time."

She looked over the knife and found some carvings in the hilt. A few vines that wrapped around a C and a M. Regina ran her thumb over it then closed her hand tightly around it. "Henry, please just do as I say." She met his gaze. "I want you both to be safe, and I can't worry that you're going to get hurt by accident. So please, Henry, just do as I say."

"Fine, I'll stay with Neal and Belle." He held his hand out for the switchblade.

"Could I hold onto this for a bit longer?"

"Well, she gave it to me, but...I guess. Take care of it, okay?"

"I will, but I won't let you go around unprotected. Serah's right that we can't always be with you to keep you safe, so take this." She conjured a new switchblade for him. "I'll drop you off. Emma and Hook most likely haven't gone very far into the woods." Catching up to them would be easy.

"What—what are you going to do when you find her?" Henry searched his mom's eyes, tucking the new switchblade into his jacket pocket.

"It depends on the situation, Henry. If we find her and she's very upset, which she might be after reading the book, we'll simply talk to her down and bring her back." He nodded. "However if she's hostile, we'll have to...incapacitate her. I'll be as gentle as possible."

He nodded again. "Be careful, and...bring her home."

– – –

Serah clenched her jaw, rubbing the green salve between her fingers, and she began to massage it into the wound. Her entire body jolted, the book fell out of her lap onto the forest floor beside her, and she turned away from the burning wound. She dug the heels of her boots into the dirt, sucking in short, gasping breathes, trying to ease the pain that way, but it wasn't working. The wound was deeply infected. She shouldn't have done that. It was asinine and risky. She's lucky she didn't lose her arm.

Blood rolled down her shoulder along with pus, she scrambled to get the tissues out of her jacket pocket, and she pressed them against the wound, laughing out a groan. She had never done something so stupid. Wait, no, that wasn't true. She had done something stupid like this before, only she had the magic to stop the blood. Healing the inside was harder, but if there was no blood, no wound, no one would know about the stupid thing. Shit, she needed to learn from the past. That was the point, right?

She wiped the sweat from her brow and picked up the book, the blood on her hands that wasn't drying was smeared onto the page, and she swiped her thumb over it out of habit, just trying to brush it off, but when she moved her thumb, the blood was gone. It had soaked into the pages of the book, and she frowned, her brows furrowing. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, she pushed herself up, her jacket half hanging off, and she looked around, holding the book in her hand. She felt a sharp pain course through her, and it wasn't from the salve. What the hell?!

She lifted the book, the page that once had words blank, and she flipped through the pages. "No, no, no." It was blank. Page after page of nothingness! "No!" She sank down into the grass. "What the hell?" She slammed the book down in front of her on the ground. "What the hell don't you want me to see, Mom?!" She punched the ground. "Why can't you see you're not protecting me, you're _killing_ me!"

She felt tears burn in her eyes, and she wasn't sure if they were tears of anger or sorrow. She dug her nails into the earth. "Just let me in," she whispered. "For once just let me know what going to happen. I can't stand not knowing. I thought—I thought that if I came and did what you asked of me, I would be okay with this in time. I'm not. I'm not okay with this so help me! Mommy, please... help me." She lowered her head, her tears falling onto the pages.

"And you said she would be fine."

Her eyes snapped opened, but she didn't dare lift her head.

"And you said not to mess with Belle's journal," she shot back. "We do what we have to keep the world safe."

At the sound of that voice, she couldn't help but look up. Serah lifted her head, eyes wide as she found her mother and Emma in front of her. Her actual, future Mom and Emma. She shot up and ran to her mom, wanting to hug her, but when they made contact, Serah fell through her mom and landed on the ground. She groaned softly, squeezing her eyes shut, and she gently pushed herself up, looking over her shoulder at them.

"Are you all right?" Regina was by her side instantly. "I'm sorry...but as you can tell, Emma and I are incorporeal."

"Well, of course you are. Emma's in the future, and you're...you're dead." She sat up. "What are you doing here?"

"We wrote a spell into the pages." Emma sat down beside her. "That if you ever got your hands or...your tears on the book, we would come to you."

"So it just took me breaking down to get you to help me?" She wiped her eyes.

"We hoped you wouldn't come to us." Regina smiled a little. "We only have a few things to tell you, things that we didn't want to even think, let alone speak."

"What things? How Oogie came to be? Things like that?"

"No." Emma lowered her eyes. "Worse things."

"What's worse than Oogie Boogie? What he did to us, to other people, to the entire world and relams... What could possibly be worse than him?"

"Losing you," Regina replied. "Losing Henry and Neal."

"We couldn't tell you what we were going to do once we sent you back." Emma's jaded eyes darkened. "You are our last hope, but we made one last attempt to kill him."

"You did what?!" She stared at her mom. "Emma... You weren't—"

"Most likely."

She had always known they might be killed. A small of her always worried how many of them had been slaughtered when he attacked that day when the spell was being enacted, but she never had any proof. She was just worrying to worry, perhaps even to keep her mind busy from her own easily erased fate, but now...

"Why would you do that?" Tears flooded her eyes. "I—I—" She didn't think about them. She didn't know what they would do once she was gone. Maybe just keep surviving until the world changed. She had hoped Henry and Emma would keep the kids safe, keep on living and fighting. Tch, it was more like struggling than surviving. They were constantly struggling, even when their numbers were high, even when luck was on their side. That was the only constant in their world, and it wouldn't have changed simply because she was sent back time. Nor, she suspected, did the endless mourning, loved ones starving and dying. Being infected and changed...

"We did the best that we could," Emma swept her gaze from Regina to the young girl sobbing, "and Mulan was supposed to stay with the children along with Marian and Neal."

"So you're dead too then... And Henry..."

"It won't matter since you're here now, and you'll change it. You'll save us."

"You're still gone!" Serah screamed. "All of you are gone and the people here... You aren't the same. You don't know me like I know you! It's...not fair I have to lose you, all of you, just so I could have you all in a life where I won't be the same! I'm saving you but losing you too. And I can't even be sad because "it doesn't count"?! All of you are my entire life, and that "doesn't matter"?"

"She didn't mean it like that," Regina assured her. "Of course you can be upset. You can mourn. Or furious."

"Thanks for the permission." She hugged herself, trying to still the storm inside. They always told her she felt like her mother. She didn't understand those words until now. No loss was small, all of her emotions were struck her core, and she realized when she loved someone, she loved them for the rest of her life. Sucking in air, she asked, "What more can happen? Tell me the worst of it."

"It was never going to be easy." Emma met her eyes. "It will only be harder for you from here on out."

She lowered her arms. "Well then I better start preparing. Tell me, please."

– – –

Regina had dropped Henry off at David and Mary Margaret's, running into David and Mary Margaret, and Regina told them what she was planning to do. David decided to stay with Henry and Neal, wanting to have a word with Henry, and it would be best for Belle to go back to her books. She had some of the pages copied, and if anyone was going to find a way to destroy Oogie, it would be Belle. And while Serah being missing was important, stopping Oogie was their top priority. Mary Margaret decided to go with Regina to meet up with Emma and Hook. She wanted to do all she could to help them, and she wanted to find Serah. They all did, but she especially wanted Serah found. Well, after Regina, of course.

"After we meet Emma and Hook, I'm going to my vault," Regina informed Mary Margaret's as they slipped out of her car, which was parked beside Emma's yellow Bug, and followed after Mary Margaret who was tracking the impressions in the dirt Emma and Hook had left.

"What for?" She tucked her hands into her pockets.

"To try a locator spell." She glanced at Mary Margaret. "I don't know for sure if Emma has been to this place in our time or not, and I don't want Serah out here all by herself with the book. There are a lot of things I don't want her to read from it."

"But didn't you try to track her once and you couldn't?"

"Yes, but she had used her magic to cloak herself and her magic. She has no magic now, so I should be able to find her."

"She used magic in the library. That's how she got the book in the first place."

"I've been thinking about that." She folded her arms. "Belle properly made that cuff for Serah, so the only explanation is Serah had an item imbued with magic for any use. I suspect it was that swan necklace. Emma in the future most likely had magic inside of it for emergency use but decided Serah might need it more." They would have to know the mark might get out of hand and that they in the past would bind her magic to keep him from using it, so they came up with a backup plan—one Serah, from the way she spoke, wasn't let in on. Also that was Swan's style. Take care of everyone but herself.

Mary Margaret thought about it, and it made sense. "Do you have something of hers?"

"Yeah." She pulled the switchblade out of her pocket. "She gave this to Henry for protection since he doesn't have magic."

"That's smart." She paused. "And a little strange... Unless she knows someone is after him."

"Well, Serah's not the only person hiding things." Regina replaced the switchblade and sighed. "We're all hiding things that we read from the book."

"Yes, but to protect Serah and Henry. They don't need to know—"

"Serah already knows some of it," Regina interrupted her. "Serah _lived_ it. We've only read it, and while I don't want her reading it, I would like to talk to her about." She shook her head. "I should have just spoken to her before the meeting."

"Regina, you couldn't have known Serah had some magic tucked away and would do this."

"I should have known. She was acting unusual this morning." Regina frowned a little. "She's my daughter, I should have noticed. And it was something_ I_ would do." Henry kept trying to tell her they were almost the same person, but she never saw it that way. She was starting too. Having extra magic was something Regina would do. Now how Serah went about getting the book was not something Regina would do. Well, not her as an adult anyway. Perhaps when she was a child, which Serah was. Damn.

"She is your daughter, but you haven't raised her yet and you barely know her, no matter how similar you two are, so stop being so hard on yourself. We'll find her, and when we do, you'll both have the chance to explain yourselves."

Regina checked her phone again but still no service. "All right, I have to get to my vault. Find Emma and tell her what I told you."

"Of course." She nodded. "Go."

Regina teleported to her vault and began to work on the locator spell. She was incredibly impatient today, and she needed to find Serah. She had a sinking feeling in her gut telling her Serah was in danger, and she didn't want to find her unconscious or dead or dying. She wanted to find her before anybody hurt her. This switchblade meant a lot to her, and it even had her initials on it. It would take Regina to her, without a doubt. She just had to get there before someone else did. Or some_thing_ else.

––

Her mother and Emma were gone now and, their spell faded into the thin ink of Belle's handwriting, having its purpose been fulfilled. Serah just sat there and played the conversation over and over in her mind, and she realized it had been written this way for a reason. She didn't want to fight it. She just had to accept it. She just had to do what she knew was right. Heros do what's right, not what's easy. And doing what was easy in this situation would benefit no one, least of all herself.

It was time to go home. She looked over herself. She was gross—dried blood on her shoulder, dirt under her nails, tears staining her cheeks. She needed to get home and shower. She had to return the book to Belle and apologize to everyone. She had acted horribly, and it wasn't their fault. She had just jumped to the wrong conclusions. She really needed to apologize and explain the magic. They would understand. It was their plan, after all. Future them, anyhow.

Standing up, she turned to grab the book and only found Barrel behind her. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he lowered his eyes down, but she wasn't going to look away from him. She reached down to for the blade in her boot, someone grabbed her from behind and blew something into her face. She blacked out and fell into Barrel's arms, the knife falling from her numb fingers.

Barrel lifted her up and set her gingerly down inside the bathtub as it finally arrived, but of course he had wanted her to have that moment with those mothers of hers. He now knew what to expect. He returned to their camp, his brother and sister had yet to return from their search, and he tended to the girl's wounds, wiping away the dried blood on her hands first, planning to get the shoulder next, and he noticed the ring she wore was broken. He tried to remove it, but she woke up the minute his fingers made contact.

She was dizzy, so she didn't try to move just yet. She looked at Barrel, who tilted his head at her, and she could sense no one else was around. When his siblings came back, it was over. She needed to get the hell out of there before they returned. Her mothers had told her she was the key. Her blood would restore Oogie and give him the power to tear apart the world. Her mark ran thick with his blood, so she needed to make like Will Scarlet right now. She would not spill any blood here, not a single drop. She wouldn't let him use her like this, not now, not ever.

"Be still. You're wounded, and we don't want you wasting any precious blood." His healing skills weren't the best, but it wasn't too deep. Magic came with a price, and the price of her using magic when she barely had any left a wound that he might not be able to heal. Oh well, all magic had its limits.

Lock and Shock approached their camp, arguing about their failure to capture the boy and find out exactly what the Queen and Savior were doing. They were running all over the woods, but Lock had failed to find out why. Shock couldn't get to the boy. He was with his mother for a time then at his grandparents'. When she tried to get him, she saw he had a weapon, as did his grandfather. She couldn't risk killing the boy. She needed him alive for bait, and sometimes when she fought, she lost control of her rage which fed her powers. Normally killing people was good, but not now. Killing the boy, his grandfather and that baby would only rile up the Savior, the Queen and the others. She didn't need that right now. _He_ didn't need that, simply rest and the blood of the foolish girl who thought she could be victorious. She would have to wait until he left the care of his grandfather. And he would. They would make sure of that.

They both came to a halt at the sight of Barrel and the Queen's daughter. He had suceeded when they had both failed. What the hell was wrong with this time? Barrel had captured the girl. Barrel had success in his mission. They both scoffed. It wasn't skill, they silently decided, simply luck. Sheer dumb luck.

"Well, we can get started." Lock grinned.

"No, not just yet." Shock held a hand out to still her brother. "Where did you find her?"

"Alone in the woods. She ran away from her family from the look of it." Barrel rose.

"They'll be looking for her." She pursed her lips. "Lock, do the ritual. I'll go throw off their scent." She pulled a necklace out of her pocket, one that Serah had seen before, and she fastened it around her neck, the white gem glowing green for a brief second then she shifted into Serah. "Don't screw this up."

"I would never," he hissed.

She turned and ran off, Lock bent down and heedfully grasped the main bug in his hands, shushing it like one would a fussy child, and he set it down on the ground. Serah scrambled to get out of the tub, but Lock grabbed her and yanked her out of the tub and onto the ground. He cuffed her ankles with one of his favorite set of shackles then he did the same to her hands, smoothing a hand down her messy hair, smirking. He ran his eyes over her, but not in a murderous manner.

"Lock," Barrel warned.

"Shut up." He chuckled. "I just don't see it. Where's all your power, girl? Hmm? I expected so much more." He dug his nail into her cheek, but didn't break the skin. "You're just a scared little girl."

She smirked and bashed her forehead into his, he fell back, groaning, and she squeezed her eyes shut, groaning a bit herself. Barrel bellowed laughter as his brother gripped his forehead, and Lock growled, grabbing Serah by her shirt, and she guarded her eyes, not showing fear, just smirking at him.

"If I didn't need every drop of your blood..." he didn't finish his threat, knowing she had seen his work, and his hand slid down her thigh. She struggled then, but he only dug the knife out of her boot and dropped her. "Barrel, let's get started." He tossed him the knife, set the main bug into the bathtub oh-so tenderly then grabbed Serah by her hair. He stood her up just to kick her down to her knees, and he leaned her over the tub, holding his hand out for the knife. She could feel the welts forming on her legs. "There's no use in begging."

"People only beg when they're scared," she spat. "I don't fear you. I _never_ did. You're just a cowardice little boy in the body of a man."

His tail wrapped around her neck, she gasped as he began to choke her, and he chuckled darkly. "I love your guts, and as much as I would love to snap your pretty little neck and play with them, I have to revive my master with your blood. I hope your conscious to see it." He released her; she coughed and sputtered. "Give me the knife."

"You're going to bleed her out?"

"Yes."

"That'll kill her."

"Obviously." His eyes sliced into Barrel's. "You knew this. What the hell are you asking for?"

"I can't let allow you to harm our master." He threw Lock back against the tree with a strong gust of wind. "I will not let you kill our master."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lock tried to sit up, but his body was shaking and blood ran down his mouth. Barrel hadn't held back. His aimed to kill Lock. "Barrel, she's not our master! She's just a pawn! You know this!"

He removed the shackles, knowing his brother's work piece by piece, and he gripped Serah's shoulders.

"What are you going? Barrel, don't do this!" Lock pushed himself up. "Don't. We're his trio, and we vowed to bring him back. You took a blood oath, Barrel! You swore to bring darkness to the world! What the hell are you doing?!"

He teleported out of there with Serah.

"You son of a bitch!" Lock growled. He didn't know what bitch had done to his brother, but he decided then she didn't need to be alive when they drained her of her blood. When they met again, she would die and his brother would be free of her magicks.


	14. The Trio Has Broken

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm so sorry this update has taken so long. I was moving, but now I am fully moved and will update more frequently!**_

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"What the hell?" Serah fell back on her butt when they arrived outside Regina and Henry's home. She stared up at him, completely confused, and she wasn't entirely sure she had a weapon of any kind—aside from her body. She shot up and fisted her hands. He had magic, but she would have to work around it. "What the hell do you want?"

"To serve you." He looked thoroughly delighted. "You're my master."

She gaped at him. "...what?"

"It's a different time, and an entirely different body, but I assure you I will protect you with my last breath." He was being quite solemn. "My life is yours, now and forever. When your power is restored, your true form returned, I will be there to ease the process. The power you'll have...will be great, and I will do what I can to assist you."

"Oh, great, you've gone completely mental." She scoffed. "We're enemies, Barrel. I try to kill you, you try to kill me and my family and desire to end the world with darkness. Is that ringing any bells?"

He grimaced at her wording. "_We_ desire to rule the world. After all we've been through, our time was long overdue. Now, what shall we do first?"

"We? There is no we. _I'm_ going to find my mom, and you're going to get well acquainted with my fist." She was about to punch his lights out when Emma and Regina zipped over to her, Barrel instantly started to attack and she punched his gut. "Don't even try it! Don't even speak!"

He sputtered but nodded.

"Serah!" Regina stopped in front of her. "What the hell is going on? Who the hell is this?"

"Umm, I can explain."

"Well, you had better." Emma folded her arms. "What the hell happened in the library? I thought you didn't have any magic."

"I don't. I don't—ugh." She hung her head. "Let's just get inside. I'll explain everything. Uh, Emma, cuff this asshole."

"Who is he?" Regina inspected the newcomer.

"Barrel."

"Barrel?" Regina frowned, not understanding.

"Whoa, whoa, Barrel from Lock, Shock and Barrel?" Emma demanded at Serah. "He's one of Oogie's henchmen. What the hell is he doing with you?"

"I really don't know either." She shrugged. "I think he's lost the last of his brain cells on the trip here." She stopped, her eyes narrowing a bit in wonderment and relation then she spun to face him. "Wait, how did _you_ get here? I came alone, and there's no way in any realm Oogie's men could have performed that spell. They're all the same inside and out, so the courage and—and brain would be impossible to find. You wouldn't be able to find a product of true love either."

He didn't say anything.

"Hey!" She grabbed him by his shirt. "What the hell did you do to them?! What did you do?!"

"Serah." Emma grabbed her and pulled her back. "Stop, calm down. You're...not going to get anything out of him."

"He can speak very well," she corrected. "Damn it, Barrel, speak! What the hell did you do to my family? How did you get here?"

"We came with you," he asserted. "We just had to get close enough to get into the portal. Oogie attacked those pathetic trailers who thought they actually had the upper hand." He chortled. "He killed them while we went back in time. The trip was a bit exhausting, but the spell worked. His and yours."

"What spell?" She struggled in Emma's arms.

"Well, you'd have to ask the author as my brother and sister and myself weren't told what Oogie had done, just that he had done it. I don't know what _it_ was, but it was successful."

"Ooh, I can't wait to strangle the life out of you," Serah growled, and Regina swallowed hard at her words. "I've never done it before, but I'm sure it's not too difficult!"

Regina exhaled then, relieved, and she even smiled. Emma gave her an off look, and Serah was glowering down Barrel, wanting to melt him into nothingness for his oh-so confident words. "Let's get to the police station. We'll lock him up."

"He has magic." Serah turned to her mom and pulled free of Emma's grasp. "Shitty magic, but still."

"If he has magic, why hasn't he tried to kill us?" Emma questioned.

"Because, brain trauma here, thinks I'm Oogie." She huffed. "Or something like him. He won't attack us. He actually saved me from his brother, Lock."

"You're his power source. Your body, your blood, your heart...will fuel him, so I must protect this fragile body," he informed her. "My siblings do not understand this. They don't know what it takes, but I do, and when the time is right, you will be restored by my hand and the blood of the Queen's daughter; blood that has mixed with yours and still flows."

"Great, that's what every girls wants to hear, really." She punched him in the face, he fell to the ground with a busted cheek, and she smirked around the pain in her knuckles.

"Was that necessary?" Emma scolded.

"Yes, it really was." She stroked her knuckles. "Now, let's go to the station. I'm sure his brother and sister will be looking for him." Emma grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. "And I have a plan on how to deal with them."

"I can't wait to hear this." Emma pushed Barrel forward toward the station.

Regina and Serah traipsed behind them. Regina was thankful Serah had never killed anybody, and she would probably have to explain that to Emma later from the look she had given her. She wasn't proud Serah had threatened to strangle someone, even if they were the enemy. She had probably killed some of Oogie's men, but that was different somehow. The way Serah spoke of his men, they were lifeless dolls that only know to fight. Barrel wasn't like that. He was confused, but he wasn't a lifeless doll. In fact, he was very much full of life. He was going to stay that way, and if anybody got to put him down, it was Regina. What was one more black speck? If it kept Serah from having a touch of darkess on her heart, she would gladly do it.

At the station Emma cuffed Barrel to the bench and Regina cast a spell over the cell so that if Barrel did use magic, it would just ping off the walls until it hit something fleshy while Serah stood behind them by the desks.

"I'm sorry," Serah suddenly blurted out, and they turned to face her, not speaking. "I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that, and I know you don't trust me, and I only made that worse by doing what I did. I just needed answers, and it's hard for me to be patient when I think my family has lied to me, or tried to manipulate me in any way. They...never have so I don't know why I would think they'd start now."

"It's all right." Regina closed the space between them and placed a hand on Serah's shoulder. "We should have spoken to you sooner, but I didn't want you to know about...certain events that followed sending you back in time."

She nodded then glanced from Emma to her mom. "I don't have any magic. This ring and necklace both had magic inside them. You both most likely knew what would happen and gave me these as a backup. They're empty now." She twisted the ring on her finger, happy to feel the stone was still intact, although it was cracked.

"Regina figured as much." Emma sat down on the edge of the desk behind her. "Well, did you learn anything, kid?"

"No." She shook her head. "The book...went blank at my touch."

Emma gave a nod. "So, where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"The book."

She paled. "Oh, shit. I—I left it in the woods! Barrel came out of nowhere and somehow knocked me out, so it's still where I left it."

"Well, let's go get it." Emma slid off the desk. "I'll text Dad to come and watch him. Hook as well." She slipped her phone out of her pocket and began to text them. They had left Hook with Mom in the woods and told them to head home. They were going to deal with Serah themselves. She hoped they had made it back to town by now. Emma had accidentally taken her keys, and Regina had hers with her now too, so they didn't have a ride. She would apologize later, but it wasn't as if this town was massive. It would be like taking a stroll. Dad was already here with Henry, so they could head out when he got there.

"Wait." Serah reached out, but didn't touch Regina or Emma, just let her hand hang in the air. "I have a plan, but... I don't know if you'll like it, either of you."

"What plan?" Emma sent the text.

"The one where you remove this cuff and let me have my magic back."

"Why do you need your magic?" Emma cut a look to Regina that Serah noticed but ignored.

"Because Lock and Shock are dangerous. Shock can stop you with the tip of her nail. She can boil you from the inside out, and if she gets near your heart..." She closed her eyes briefly. "You don't want her to get your heart."

"And what about Lock?" Regina felt a lump in her throat at the pain in Serah's eyes before she closed them. "What does he do?"

"He works with locks. He can break through any type of lock, even some magical locks." Her eyes drifted to the barrier over Barrel's cell. "I don't want either of them to make it back to him. They're lethal together. You two are both very, very strong, but you don't know how they fight. You don't know how they move, and they know _exactly_ how you think and fight. Let me help you, please."

"We'd have to get Blue." Regina shifted her weight, brow raised. "It'd take time, and you wouldn't be at full strength. Do you really want to risk them getting away, or getting Barrel back? Or worse, you getting killed?"

"No, of course not. I know how to work with a little bit of magic." She dragged a hand through her hair. "You don't know how I fight, so don't automatically assume it's the same way you fight."

"Didn't I train you?"

"Yes, but I'm my own person. That shows in my magic and in how I fight."

"We don't have time to return your magic or finish this argument. You'll have to—"

"Do you have a bow?" Serah interrupted her mom. "Or a sword?"

"Why would I have a bow, or even a sword?"

"Could you please conjure one for me? I'm a good shot, and I'm quick on my feet. I had good teachers, and I'll have your backs with either weapon. I'm going with you no matter what, so just give me a weapon. They're my enemies more than they are yours. I want to be there when they pay for what they did to my family, so please give me a weapon. Let me fight at your side."

"All right, fine." She conjured a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Stay behind us."

"The bow is a long distance weapon after all."

Emma smirked. "Dad's just down the street. Let's get going."

"Who's driving?" Serah slipped the quiver onto her back.

– – –

Hiking through the woods with Serah leading, Regina began to feel strange and Emma picked up on her discomfort. She fell back until she and Regina were side by side, and Regina lifted her head, waiting for Emma to ask whatever she was going to ask.

"What's wrong?" Emma caught her balance on uneven ground.

"I don't know."

"Well, something's wrong with you, and I can tell, but you can't?"

"I feel...something inside me." She couldn't just shrug it off. It was twisting inside, but she wasn't sure what it was. Or how it got inside of her. "I know this type of magic, Emma."

"Then you know what this it?"

"No, not yet. I will know soon. I can feel it working its way through me." She met Emma's eyes. "I'll be fine. I can sense it's not harmful. It's oddly familiar."

"All right, thanks for the headache, and if you suspect it is a danger, let me know straightaway, okay?" Regina gave an annoyed nod. "Good. C'mon, let's catch up to her."

They picked up their pace as Serah scooped up the book and held it close, but before she could walk away, she felt a fist slam into her spine and electricity shot through her. She bashed her elbow into Shock's face before she fell, and she could see Lock coming at her. Before she could draw her bow, Emma threw them both back with a blast of light magic, and Regina readied a fireball.

Serah clenched her teeth and grabbed an arrow, taking aim on Lock for what he tried to do and what he had done. She shot an arrow into his knee as her mom released the fireball. She grasped another arrow and was about to loose it when the scent of burning leather caught her attention. She dropped her eyes down to the book, and she cursed as it was on fire. She didn't dare touch it as those incessant and famished purple flames engulfed the leather and the ink and the paper, turning into a pile of ash beside her. Damn it, that's what Shock was aiming for! That's why she could still move and was still drawing breath. Crap. There were answers in that book, perhaps answers they hadn't yet found. They were lost. Damn it!

Emma dodged Shock as she attempted to kill her, and Regina was about ready to cut off Lock's tail and shove it down his throat. He seemed to know every step before she made it, and he kept evading all of her fireballs. She knew they had to have fought in the future, but for him to know her this well meant he studied her and Emma too, as her blonde partner couldn't get any hits in on him either. She didn't like him having an advantage, and if they were going to win this fight, she needed to do something he hadn't seen before. If only she knew exactly what he'd seen. Maybe they should have let Serah have her magic.

Emma threw Shock back. She wanted those three pathetic brats from the movie now. One look, and they'd wet themselves. Not these little shits, though. They were relentless and powerful, and it was as if she were fighting with a mirror. They knew all of her moves, and they made them before she did and struck. She was going to be drained of both energy and magic soon. She needed an upper hand, an opening. She wiped blood off her lip, wishing she had brought her gun. A shot to the kneecap would solve a lot of problems right about now. Or Elsa. She could have just frozen this arrogant brat.

Serah stood up and gathered her bow and arrow, zeroing in on Lock, and she inhaled slowly, aiming directly for his heart. She wasn't going to miss. They were distracted with Emma and Regina, but she knew he would soon come for her. She was going to make the first strike and with luck, this arrow would be the last she let loose at him. She didn't want to kill him, but that was the only option. He wasn't even going to technically die. He was still alive in his original realm, so she wasn't killing anybody. Just what would have been. Feeling the skill that her mother had told she had gotten from her father flow through her body, which was the only time she really ever felt her father at her side, she loosed the arrow. Lock didn't see the arrow coming for him with accurate aim, but Shock did. She moved in front of him, and a bright light covered her as the arrow made contact. Serah, Regina and Emma had to avert their eyes at the light.

When the light died down, they were gone. Serah gripped the bow tightly and ran deeper into the woods, Regina called after her, but she didn't listen. She could see the impressions the bathtub had left, and she wasn't going to let them get away. She hoped they followed her, because she couldn't do this alone, but she had to do this now. She wouldn't let them flee, let them have time to recover their bodies, powers and even their brother. No. Never. They had gotten away with far too much, and their deaths were the only way this was going to end. She owed the people who died at their hands that much. She owed her family that much. Her father. She couldn't remember him—his face, his voice, the feel of his hands holding her in his arms to sooth her cries. It was all a blank, because of them. If she was going to be erased, so were they. Their future selves would not exist in this time or their present. She would see to that.

She found the camp and readied her bow, seeing blood on the forest floor. She could hear panting, and she raised her bow, finding Lock and Shock. The arrow had ripped through Shock, but she was fine. It was sticking out of Lock's chest, blood soaking through his shirt and sliding down his mouth. She watched as he disintegrated into the dirt, becoming nothing as she looked on. Shock climbed to her feet slowly, and she saw the main bug on Shock's shoulder.

Shock looked at her, her eyes crackling with electricity, and there was something slicing through the air in waves at Serah. "We were supposed to take care of you, be gentle and not waste any of your blood." Serah's arms began to lower due to some invisible force, breathing was becoming a challenge, and she felt as if she were being pressed into the ground. Shock wasn't holding back, and it wasn't even half of her power being applied. She was going to unleash hell on this little "princess". "You've taken both of my brothers."

"It's only fair," Serah bantered, struggling to speak. "You—took—everything—of—mine!"

"Now I'm going to take the last thing you have."

Serah felt hot blood in her mouth, she fell to her knees, and she tried to raise her bow, tried to fight back but there was no use. Shock had unchained herself, and she was stronger than Serah. As her vision began to blur, streams of white and red magic shot by Serah and Shock was thrown back into the trunk of a tree. When she hit the ground, she recovered quickly and darted off deeper into the woods, falling out of sight.

"Serah!" Regina dropped to her knees beside her.

"I'm fine, just get her." She spit out the blood and wiped her mouth.

"You aren't fine." Emma scanned the woods. "And she's gone."

"Let's get her back home." Regina helped Serah stand up. "Where's Lock?"

"Gone." Serah wiped at the blood that stuck to her chin. "He's not dead, but he's not alive anymore either. His future self has been erased from our time and the future."

"You didn't—"

"I _did_ have to." Serah lifted her eyes to her mom's. "And I can make it back on my own. You two should go after Shock before she comes back with even more power."

"We're not going to leave you like this."

"Stop fighting with me and go after her! She's weakened! If you let her gather her full strength, the entire town will be melted into piles of bloody goo. I know neither of you wants that, so go after her. It's not a long walk back into town."

"She's right, Regina. We need to find Shock." Emma felt horrible, but Shock was a threat. A threat who has just lost her brothers, so they needed to go now. She already had her mission and her resentment, and they didn't need her to have back at one hundred percent as well. She may have been weakened in her fight against Serah, so now was the time to strike. Two on one were good odds, and Serah was a survivor, like her mom. She'd be back at in no time. "I'll go on ahead." She jogged after where Shock had ran off to.

Regina sighed and teleported Serah to the police station before chasing after Emma. She hastily caught up to her, and they followed the tracks Shock had left. The tracks and the dead grass. Shock was unhinged, and that most likely meant her powers were unstable. They had to be careful, but they could stop her for good. She wasn't going to die because she was already alive in a different realm. She would just fade out, like Lock had faded out.

Regina's run slowed to a hurried walk as she felt a snap in her head. A memory that did not belong to her flickered in her mind, and she found it perplexing. It made no sense. It was a simple and harmless memory of Serah's, but at the same time it wasn't. It felt like the most vital information in the entire world, and it was...harrowing, because she knew what it meant. What all of this truly meant. It would seem that picture was not the true cruel joke here. This was. _No, no._

"Regina, c'mon! We've almost caught up to her." Emma stopped and looked back as the color drained from Regina's face, her hand holding her stomach, as if she were about to heave. "Regina?"

She shuddered, the memory still in her mind, playing again, searing itself into her brain. She was the one this memory was meant for. She was the one who had to do this. These were her orders from her future self. _But how? And why?_

"Regina?" Emma set a hand on her shoulder once she was close. "Are you okay?"

Finally, Regina managed a strangled, "No."


	15. Forever

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **_

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"What's wrong?"

Regina concentrated on her breathing, evening it out as well as her emotions, and she shook the feeling—and the memory—off. That wasn't going to happen. That was just some strange accident. There was another way to do this. "I'm all right now. I—I'm not sure what that was. Let's find Shock."

"You sure?"

"Well, we can't let her go around and make mushy piles of flesh now, can we?" Regina straightened up and cleared her throat. "Do you happen to have plan?"

"Yeah." Emma eyed her as she led the way. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes." She expelled an exasperated sigh, lips pressed together, and she focused her attention forward. "Let's just find this little brat."

– – –

Serah plopped down in the chair when she arrived at the station, her knees weak, and David gave her a nod, looking quiet miffed, and Hook was in Emma's office. She didn't understand why they looked as if they were being tortured until Barrel's voice called to her. It would appear that he had been calling to her. In all likelihood he felt Lock's passing, and he probably didn't take it too well. Yeah, oh well. Poor David and Killian.

"Has he been like this since we left?" Serah moaned under her breath from various aches in her body, peeking at David.

"Worse. He keeps calling for his master and then he'll say your name. I think he's broken."

"Well, I "killed" Lock." She spoke softly, not wanting to Barrel to hear her words and go nuts. She needed him alive and serving her. She needed to speak to him about things only he knew from being Oogie Boogie's little slave.

"You what?"

"Technically he's still alive, as a kid, in a different realm, so he's not really gone. His future self is." She pushed herself up and approached the cell, Barrel was rocking himself on the floor, fingers tightly grasping his hairs, and she bent down so he could see her. His rocking slowly stilled, and he crawled over to where she was.

She had figured out what had happened to him, why his mind was so messed up. Barrel had always been the fragile one, and Oogie had made him perform potent magicks when he couldn't handle them. His siblings had always been rough him, pushing his buttons so much that they were now worn and some even broken. He had never heard a single compliment in his entire life, and he began to dig into himself, furthering his destruction. All of those things and the price of his magic made his mind more frail, and it would appear his mind has finally snapped.

She ran her eyes over him. "Barrel, I need to you tell me something. Remind me of something."

He nodded. "Of what?"

"How O—I came into power." She searched his eyes. "I need every detail."

"Where's Lock?" he whispered. "I—What I felt... It's impossible."

"Lock's fine." It wasn't a completely lie. "He just had a near-fatal blow is all."

"His view on this may be askew, but he is still my brother. If you're lying—"

"I'm not." She locked eyes with him. "Now tell me what happened."

"I—it was 'cause of that hat."

"What hat?"

"The Sorcerer's Hat." He met her eyes. "When you were sucked inside that hat, you and it became one in a way."

"Go on." She glanced back at David and Killian, who were listening to Barrel now.

"The sack that held all of your bugs took on the properties of the hat: absorbing and accumulating magic. You became so powerful on the magicks of others, and you were able to release yourself when the hat was used. You brought us here, and we destroyed everything and everyone." His eyes became inky, as though he didn't want to do anything he had done, but at the same time pride danced in those inky pools. "I can still remember the blood that covered us, all of the screaming and pleading. They thought they could outrun death. It was very odd. Why would anyone think they could run away from death?"

Serah looked at them with rounded eyes then blinked and turned back to Barrel. "When did he release himself? I! When did I release myself?"

"When the hat was used here in Storybrooke, of course. Where else?" He chuckled, very amused. "This form is so silly."

She straightened up and walked over to them. "Please tell me you guys haven't used the hat for anything." Killian and David exchanged glances, and Serah heaved a long sigh, covering her face with her hands. "Brilliant."

"Which time was he released?" David stepped towards Barrel.

He threw his head back and guffawed hysterically.

"Well, we have a main bug roaming the town for how long exactly?" Serah held her breathe.

"I don't know. About a week, maybe?" Hook guessed. "The crocodile used it last trying to release himself from the Dark One's dagger."

"All right, guys, it's been just a week possibly. It might already have found its future self and concocted some ideas on how to get his power back. We need to find it now. Do you have the hat? We could try and work a locator spell. He lived inside of it, so technically it's something of his."

"We should wait for Emma and Regina to get back before we do any spells," David began. "I—"

"It's been a week, David. I can handle a simple locator spell. Trust me, I've been training to do this my entire life. Killian can stay with Barrel and you can come with me, or I can grab Mary Margaret on the way, if you don't want me doing this alone." She headed toward the door. "Either way, I am doing this, and I am in a hurry."

"I'll go." David was on his feet and clambering after her.

"Do you have a car?"

"Yeah, the police car."

"You do know where the hat is, right?"

"Yes."

They got into the car, Serah buckled herself in, and she wished she had magic. It would make this entire trip so much faster. She didn't mind cars, but she was much more comfortable teleporting where she needed to go, and it was so quicker. She didn't want the main bug to find a way to restore itself. She refused to let it get her body, or her blood, and revive. She had to find it and eradicate it. She didn't know how yet. She had never come in contact with the main bug with hopes of killing it. Hopefully, it didn't require magic. Tsh, hopefully Mom was in the area.

– – –

"What kind of plan is this?" Regina shouted, moving behind a tree to dodge another wave of lighting.

"I never said it was the best plan in the world," Emma retorted.

"Clearly!"

Emma peered over the tree. "We just need to wear her down."

"Easier said than done. I don't think she can be worn down." Regina scanned the area. "We need to find a way to knock this little twit out."

"How, throw a tree at her?"

Regina's brow rose. "Now that, Ms. Swan, is a good idea."

"Regina, I was kidding."

"Too bad. It's the best thing to come out of your mouth all day." Emma glared, and Regina took a deep breath, focusing her magic on the trees around them, and she knew it would take more than one. She needed to focus on both uprooting and tossing the trees and on Shock's movements. She had seen how erratic her movements were, thus she needed to move the trees just like that. She reached out to the dirt underneath her, feeling the girl's movements and she saw the pattern, and she moved her magic to the same beat.

"Emma, get down."

Emma was about to ask why, but she saw why and dropped to the ground. She could feel Regina's magic, and she knew the impact would be greater if they worked in tandem. Everything was stronger with more magic behind it. She placed her palms onto the cool earth, feeling almost intoxicated by it, and she let her magic flow into Regina's. Twisting and melding together in a powerful force of light magic.

Shock saw the first few trees coming and evaded them, cackling at their failed attempted to try and harm her. The next few came quicker, and she wasn't fast enough to elude them. They seemed to follow her, and she was dancing closer to the edge of a cliff. She wouldn't let him get caught like this, so she used one last bit of lightening for him to ride into the middle of the woods and was crushed under a tree, dissolving into the dirt, her future self no more.

She didn't feel bad about killing someone who had yet to exist, and she was happy to have that little brat out of their lives. She had the energy of a battery, only worse because she also recharged herself it seemed. Two down, one left to vex. Regina beamed at their success, and Emma was pleased to just have it be over. They had one more thing to do. Returning the trees back to where they were was a bit of work, but Regina wouldn't just leave them lying about.

Regina flexed her hand, eyes moving to Emma. "Thanks."

"No problem." She dusted herself off. "Let's get back."

"Yes, let's. I want to interrogate Barrel. It would appear trying to bend so much magic to his will has torn apart his henchmen, and I'm going to use that to my advantage."

"I know he's the enemy, and Shock and Lock were little assholes, but he's...different. He's...not all there." Regina's brow twitched, and Emma cocked her head to the side. "Just go easy on him, okay? He'll probably spill everything we want and need to know if we put Serah in front of him."

"What I want to know...I don't want Serah around to hear it." She locked eyes with Emma. "And I need you to keep your father and mother and boyfriend away from the station when I speak with him."

"Why? What do you want to know?"

"You'll find out. I want you there."

"Really?" Emma perked up at her words, smiling a little. "Okay."

"Let's get back. I need to speak to Serah too, and I have a feeling she's not at the station anymore."

Emma trailed after Regina, glancing back once more, seeing nothing left of Shock's body. She looked ahead and fell into step with Regina.

The main bug was nestled in the grass, unharmed from the attack that ultimately erased Shock, and while he wanted revenge, he wasn't ready. He had no body, no power. All he had was one last man, and he had to reach him, no matter how unhinged he was. He would have his happy ending, and he would eradicate all those who stood in his way. He had many skills, even in this...form. He _would_ get all he was owed.

––

"Where are we?" Serah didn't like how unnaturally twilight it had become. It was going to be nightfall soon, but this was premature. It wasn't just the trees casting shadows. It was something else entirely. Like black magic. She was trained on how to use dark magic, but her mother made her swear to never use it unless she had no other choice. She was trained just to know how it felt so she could avoid it, and it felt as if they were walking into the belly of the beast.

"David?" She gripped his sleeve. "Are you sure this is right?"

"It's where the spell is leading us, so I assume this is right. Unless you did the spell wrong."

"Which I did not." She sighed and walked closer to him. "You brought a weapon, right?"

"Of course. I have my gun."

"Good, because I think we'll need it." She skimmed her eyes over the area around her, wishing she had more arrows. She had a backup blade, but she didn't want to get that close to anything. She would take care of the main bug, and that would be easy, that would even feel really good. She wanted to kill him. She did. There was no use in thinking otherwise. She wanted that little bastard dead so that Oogie would be dead, and her family would be spared from the hell he wanted to unleash. She couldn't wait to make them safe and have this be over.

David stopped in front of her, and she almost ran into him. She stumbled back. "David? You okay?" He didn't say anything, and she stepped beside him. "Are we here? I can't really see anything. Should've brought a flashlight."

Still nothing.

"Are you confused about the spell? I can explain it again." She looked at him, but she couldn't see his face. She moved closer to him and reached out to touch him. "David?"

He caught her wrist and his face was revealed to her. It would seem Oogie had set a trap in the hat, and some—or all—of its darkness that had been polluting it with every villain that had ever been sucked inside had been creeping into David this entire time. His eyes were as black as night, and his aura was powerful and malevolent. He wasn't even able to fight. All of his light had been completely snuffed out, and the people who could restore it were nowhere in sight.

"David!" A panicked gasp escaped her throat. "I'm so sorry." She felt her eyes burning. She should have just taken the damned hat from him. Why did he insist on carrying it? Damn it. It wouldn't have mattered if she had taken in all that darkness. It couldn't do much, and she didn't have anything to lose. Who the hell knew what this darkness was going to command him to do to others and himself. If it was her, she wouldn't have to hurt anybody. She really couldn't. "I'm sorry." She grasped an arrow and stabbed him to try and free herself, but it didn't work. He bleed, but he didn't let go. The darkness had a strong grip on him.

He removed the arrow effortlessly then backhanded her, and she fell to the ground, her cheek busting open. She groaned but didn't think about it and scrambled to her feet. She bolted off in the direction she was facing, but of course this was bigger than David. This was the Sorcerer's Hat, filled with infinite magic, and as Oogie was attached to the hat, he could just about control all it did. She had no real chance of escaping this. This was all apart of his plan—all of this. He had spent years planning this, watching her and her magic grow, killing her family just because he could, and now the true game had begun. What all did he have in store?

She came to a standstill, panting hard, her throat dry and sticking together, and she found herself trapped in a spell. She would never find a way out of the woods, because no matter where she went, the forest would expand and go on forever, only draining her, making her easy prey. If there was one thing she would never do, it was follow the trap he had laid out for her. She would rather die than do what he wanted, but for this she had to do what he wanted or_ someone would die_. Someone would die forever, and she would not make Mary Margaret a widow, nor take Emma and Neal's father away. Henry's grandfather. Her teacher, and someone she loved like a grandfather herself. Oogie liked to take away parents, scarring their children for the rest for their lives. Not this time and never again.

She removed the quiver and tossed it and the bow down then dug out her blade. She could feel him approaching, and she brought the tip of the blade to her neck at the sight of him. "Let him go," she commanded. "Let him go, or I will slice my throat open."

He smirked.

"No? Okay." She moved the blade to her chest. "How about my heart? I'll be gone almost instantly and your life blood will die with me. Your future will die with me!" She had no idea what she was saying, but it appeared to be working. David had flinched. She really was the worst person to send back here. Her life and his life were intertwined, and she was all she could bargain with. She had to do what was best for David, so if it meant killing herself for him, she would. He had done the same for her—for all of their family—and she would be honored to do the same for him.

He raised his hand to try and call the blade from her hand, but he couldn't. His smirk drained away, and his eyes bored into her head.

She smirked. "This is a special blade. One crafted with magic so pure, so light, that nothing dark can ever touch it. My family and I made this, and I will happily plunge it into my heart if you don't let David go right now. Think I'm kidding? What's going to happen? I'll turn to dust? It's worth it. To stop you, it's worth it."

She stared him down, pressing the knife into her chest, showing how serious she was about this, and he stared right back, silent as the grave.

– – –

Regina and Emma entered the police station, Killian was the only one inside, and Emma went to him, embracing him with a pleasant sigh. He held her close, smelled the forest on her, and he pulled some moss from her hair. They shared a smile and a brief kiss while Regina spun around to check to see if Serah was in Emma's office. She was not.

"Where is Serah?" Regina didn't want her around, likewise she didn't want her missing. This child of hers spent more time being missing than being with her. "And David?"

"They went to look for the main bug. He was released when we used the hat, and the little lass didn't want him to find his future self."

"What?"

"Barrel told us the main bug had been released when—" Hook stopped his tale and recounted what Barrel had told them. Emma was still close to him, but now she looked distressed, and Regina looked like she wanted to set the world on fire. That was just her face though.

When he had finished informing them, Regina had to resist the urge to shatter something. "He's been in our town for a _week_ now, so who knows what he's done, how much power he's accumulated, what he's learned from us! This is the most methodical, underhanded, asshole villain that I would admire if I were still evil and didn't want to crush him like the bug is he I've ever come across! How in the hell did he manage to do this? It's impossible."

"Regina, just because he's—" Hook began.

"I don't need you to finish that sentence. What I need is for somebody to explain to me how a _villain_ _could achieve this_, and I can't even have a dinner with my soulmate," Regina roared, hands on her hips, eyes squinted.

"She's right." Emma leaned toward Regina. "How could he do this? We should have beaten him. It's how battle against heros and villians always go, so what changed?"

A beat, as they all thought about the question that floated from Emma's lips.

Regina lifted her head, an idea clicking her in as she scoffed, and she shook her head, the pieces coming together now. "He doesn't have foresight."

"He doesn't?" Killian scratched his cheek.

"No, he has the _one_ thing we have ignored since Serah came into our lives, the one thing we have been searching for."

"The author," Emma murmured. "He has the author."

"How on earth did he manage to acquire the author?" Killian leaned against the desk behind him. "We haven't even come close to finding him."

"But we did," Emma concluded, seeing how this all came together. "In the near future, we found the author, but Oogie got to him before we could, because he'd been watching us."

"He had the author write his ending," Regina added. "In his mind, the perfect happy ending."

Killian clenched his jaw. "He's come back to kill off the heros. We're still alive in his ending, so the tables must...be trying to balance themselves out."

"A high power that Oogie can't get to is about to overthrow his ending, so he's doing the only thing he can: kill us off." Emma had to admit he had really given this some thought, but he was destined to lose. It was showing in the future and in the past. They would make sure the odds against him stuck.

"Well, it's time we best Oogie." Regina approached Barrel, who was coiled up in the corner with his head tucked against his arms. "We can't afford to lose." What happened next would be with them for the rest of their lives, so it was time to take off the kiddy gloves, for the sake of every realm and every person in those realms.

Emma and Killian exchanged a look then joined her by the cell, and Barrel lifted his head at the feeling of eyes on him.


	16. The Queen, The Little Prince And Light

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **_

––

Serah had been standing still for about ten minutes, not daring to move and have him strike. She wouldn't let her blade be turned into a weapon that would hurt David. She wouldn't let her body be turned into a weapon that would destroy the world. She had the upper had here. She just had to retain the upper hand.

David's pulled back to reveal a grimace. "Do you really think you're not playing right into my hand?"

"Do you really think you can try and make me afraid of you?" Serah clutched the hilt of her blade. "What do I have to be afraid of? You're nothing here. You're just a villain in a world where heros always win. I'm not frightened of you. All you have are your words."

"Yes, you are." She narrowed her eyes. "You're afraid of your parents being together."

"Why would that frighten me?"

"Because, silly girl, it's always been you and your mom. If Robin's around and Henry and Roland, what room is there left for you? You might fix all of this and end up a nothing—never born, never thought of again."

She swallowed. "At least I'll have lived. At least I'll have had some good memories to reflect on in the end. What will you have?"

"The world."

She was about to speak when roots shot out of the ground and wrapped around her ankles. She flailed and dropped the blade as the roots crawled up her calves and thighs. She groaned and was dragged to her knees, her hands gripping the ground in front of her. She couldn't move, and she could feel the root tightening around her. She struggled and cried out when a numbing wave of electricity coursed through her.

David chuckled. "Hmm."

She panted and met his eyes. "S—Shock's power?" She couldn't catch her breath. "H—how?"

"Oh, no. I'm the power. I am all power."

She strained and screamed as immense pain overcame her with the next wave of intense electricity, David just looked at her, eyes glowing in pleasure, and she saw the black waves coming to take her. She was going to faint. She was going to be completely his. She was going to be helpless. She wanted to help everyone in every realm with ever fiber of her being, but in the end she would be the reason they all died. At least in their final hours, they would be altogether.

"Aaaahh!"

"Everything you think you've done of your own free will...was my doing. Barrel? Do you really think he's that weak-minded? Never. He's a good boy, and a good boy always does as he is commanded." He inhaled, satisfied with himself and his flawlessly executed plan. "I can feel them now, running around, scrambling to find a way to outdo me. It's adorable, truly it is. I know everything they're going to do before they do it. I bet they're trying to figure out how a villain could do all this. I bet it's Regina who figures it out first but Emma will be the one to verbalize it."

She sagged forward, the root now around her waist and the only thing keeping her upright. Her long hair was in her face, sweat on her brow, and she wondered how much more of this she could take. Any second now. She could already see black spots in her vision. She could feel herself weakening.

"Then David will take you back to them, and you'll try and find the author, thinking he'll make it right." He wiped the sweat from her brow. "You can't right this. I've made it so that all of your choices have been cut off. Soon the time of your conception will come and you'll fade—snuff out—be no more. It's a shame, I'll admit. You've made such a good little doll these past few years."

The roots moved higher on her body, but she could feel there were none on her back. He was going to take the blood from her body and make himself whole again. She couldn't fight. This spell prevented anyone from entering, or exiting, and David wasn't strong enough to combat Oogie. It was over. It was all over. And all she could think was: good. She wanted it to be over. She wanted the pain to be over. She wanted the sadness and death and destruction to be over. She wanted the nightmares that plagued her every waking and resting moment to be over. She knew it was wrong, but she wanted it all to stop. Silence. Peace. Bliss. Those things were what she wanted. For herself and for her family. She could only now wish they received them in death.

He watched the tears run down her cheeks. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you anymore than you've already been hurt. Just a little cut here and there. You won't feel a thing. I'm a man—well, monster—of my word." He was so insufferably contented with himself. "It's time. Good night, Regina's little light."

She fell unconscious.

– – –

"We need to find the author," Regina proclaimed at Hook and Emma, "right now. We don't need to use him. We just need to make sure we have him and Oogie doesn't."

"All right. Where do we start?"

"The book. It's all we have to go off of now."

"But it's ash in the woods," Emma reminded her. "Unless you mean the storybook."

"I mean both. I'll go to the woods and see if I can...remake the book as best I can. Emma, why don't go get Henry and take him to the shop? Belle can help him look for clues. She's worked with books, and he knows that book better than anyone, so they might find clues faster if they're collaborate. While we're doing that, Hook, I need you to go find Serah."

"Really?" Emma said that sounded like: _You're really trusting Hook to go after your daughter? You trust him enough to find her and bring her back safely?_

"What else is he going to do?"

There it is. Emma offered Hook an apologetic glance then trailed after Regina. "So, where is Henry?"

"At your parents' apartment," Regina responded, opening the front door.

"I'll called Mom and have her bring him over. We shouldn't leave Barrel unattended, so you two do what you need to, and then come meet me back here." She got a short nod from Regina, a goodbye kiss from Hook, and then she began to text her mom. She would have to bring baby Neal with her, but Emma would meet them at the door. She didn't want her baby brother exposed to Barrel, not even at his young age.

Regina and Hook exited the police station, walking side by side, and Regina was about to turn to him and tell him to be careful with Serah, as she was a magnet for bad luck when she saw David walking down the street. With Serah in his arms.

David's big blue eyes were misty and rimmed with red as he struggled to carry Serah. She didn't weigh much but the emotional weight was dragging him down. She was wholly limp in his arms, her shirt soaked in blood, her arm was hanging at her side and the other across her stomach, and her eyes were shut, her skin an ashen white that Regina had seen many times. A few blood drops were splattered on her cheek, so alive, so red those rubies were on her dead-white skin.

Regina stopped cold as David neared them, her mouth open as if she were still going to speak to the man behind her, and she just...stopped. Hook stared, not entirely sure he was breathing, and he wanted to call to Emma, but he didn't want her to see this. He didn't want Regina to see this. They may never see eye-to-eye, but no one should have their child brought back to them like this.

Emma couldn't get any service so she stepped outside to try and discovered her father, Regina, Killian and Serah. She dropped her phone and she covered her mouth with her hand, stepping forward toward Killian and Regina, her hand slowly raising to her stomach, as if she were going to be sick.

David adjusted her in his arms, Regina lost heart beats and Serah's head rolled to the side. She was alive! _She was still alive! _He hurried over to them, Emma flew to Regina's side, holding Killian's hand, and she set her other on Regina's forearm, as comfort, and Regina looked at her, eyes glossy, but no tears. Emma nodded at her, and Regina met David.

"What happened?" Her voice was demanding but soft. "What did he do to her?"

David shook his head. "I—I don't know."

"What the hell does that mean?" Regina's voice was rough, her tone broke, and she glared daggers at the man holding her child.

"I—I don't know what happened. I just...found myself in the woods with Serah." He squeezed his eyes shut. "There was so much blood around her, and I didn't know if she was alive. She came to, but she's too weak to speak."

"Let's get her to Dr. Whale," Emma suggested. "She may need blood right now. I'll get my car."

"I don't think that will help." Regina lifted her eyes. "It's not her blood."

"What do you mean, it's not hers? Whose else could it be?" Killian looked over the girl. She looked like shit. "And do you know it's not her blood?"

"It's his." Regina's voice held such hatred, hatred that they had not heard in a long time, and Emma knew this wasn't going to be good for anybody, least of all Oogie.

– – –

They carried Serah to the pawn shop as it was the nearest bed, David stayed behind to keep an eye on Barrel, and Killian stayed with him. Emma was going to come back and speak with him, because he needed to talk about it—she could see how he blamed himself—but Regina needed someone to help her with Serah. She would hasten back as soon as Serah was on the chaise in the back of the shop.

Belle grabbed an extra pillow and gently lifted Serah's head to slide it underneath. "I'll get some water and a rag."

"Thank you, Belle." Regina all but collapsed beside Serah and scrutinized the young girl, wondering why she was so frail. She clasped her hand and felt bumps on her palm. She turned her hand over and saw the impression of a tree root there. She knew this. She had them on her waist when her mother forced her to marry Leopold, forced her to stay on the castle grounds. It would appear Oogie had more knowledge of them than she thought.

"Serah?" Regina whispered. "Honey?"

She gave no response.

Regina's eyes fell to the bracelet she wore to cut off her magic, and she set her hand over it. When she was kidnapped and tortured by Greg Mandell, she was going to die. If Snow and David and Mother Superior hadn't saved her, she would be dead. Perhaps if they removed the bracelet, it would save her. She had to try. It was the only choice she had. At this rate, Serah's body would never recover, and she couldn't watch her child die.

Regina was about to stand up when Serah's lips parted and a "no" escaped. "Serah?"

"Don't..." Her voice was barely audible, and she couldn't open her eyes, but she had to tell her mother what she knew. She had tell her the details she had desperately struggled to hold onto. She had to make sure that none of his wishes came to pass. She would rather die than let that happen, which seemed a very real option at this moment.

"What is it?" She leaned in. "Don't what?"

"Leave...the bracelet on..."

"But it's killing you."

"It's better...than letting him...have—have my magic." She groaned.

"What are you talking abou—?" Regina cut off, Serah managed to open her eyes just a little bit, and Regina saw the answer. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry." She tried to shake her head, but she wasn't sure if she did. "It's...not your fault. Or David's."

"How can I not be? I was supposed to keep you safe. I was supposed to keep all of us safe, but I didn't."

"You have...kept them safe. You were...never supposed to protect...me." A tear fell free from her eyes. "I see that...now."

"Of course I was supposed to protect you. _You're my daughter_, and it's my job to keep you safe, no matter what time you are in!"

"You are...a great mother." She smiled. "I'm...really tired."

"If you sleep..._you_ might not wake back up," Regina strained.

"It's a chance...we're going to have...to take." She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She was utterly drained. Her eyes slid closed, and she fell into the blackness of her mind.

Regina held Serah's hand tightly then set her hand on her stomach and stood up. She collected herself, sorting out her emotions and placing her rage, and she cleared her mind. She was ready for whatever happened next. If Oogie took over Serah's body, she would end him. If Oogie came storming into town with all of his power, she and Emma and the others would erase him from the face of the planet. She was no longer the villain in this tale, but she was on the verge of doing something heros didn't do: revenge. She would not let him get away with all he intended and all that he has done. He will meet his end by her hand, no matter what the Savior would say to her about how far she's come.

– – –

Emma dismissed Killian with a single look, squeezing his arm when he passed, and she entered the room, pulling the door shut behind her. She walked around the desk where her father was seated, facing the wall, arms crossed, eyes haunted, and she placed herself in front of him.

He raised his head, his eyes falling into hers, and he just stared at her, his eyes conflicted. "Emma, you... you should be with Regina. You have too much to do to worry about me. I am the parent after all."

"Yeah, and I'm the daughter, but I'm not the kid daughter." She folded her arms. "What happened? From you can remember, what happened?"

"The last thing I remember?" He thought for a moment, Emma saw Killian in the doorway to the lobby, speaking with someone. It was Mom. "I was going to meet Henry and Mary Margaret at the apartment. I didn't get there. I...there are flashes, but they're all so unclear. I don't know... I just...don't know."

Mary Margaret slipped inside the room silently, moving to her husband's side, and while he could feel her, he didn't acknowledge she was there. He kept trying to make sense of the images in his mind, and it was driving him truly insane that he couldn't piece them together. To be left with no memory would be a burdensome, but having little pieces of many memories that weren't his flash in his mind was torture. If he knew something that could help them, or help Serah, but he couldn't remember it in time to doing anything... He would have a hole inside of himself forever.

Emma darted her eyes from her mother to her father. "What are some of the flashes?"

"The woods... Cold... Screaming. There's so much agonized screaming... I can smell...dirt. It's all around me, and leaves. Branches. I can feel them brushing against my arms. And roots. I tripped...over a tree root. All those things are small pieces of something bigger, but I just cannot connect them. And I...I don't know how I got into the woods with Serah. I don't know how...we ended up... how she ended up..." His eyes slowly slid down to his hands. "There was so much blood." A tremor coursed through his hands.

Mary Margaret frowned and set a hand on his shoulder, to which his response was to pull her against him and burying his face in her stomach. She encircled him in her arms and rested her chin on his head, closing her eyes, as if to absorb his pain, to alleviate his guilt and unassigned fury.

Emma let her parents have a moment and discovered Killian with her baby brother. She smiled at the sight of them and heaved the first real laugh she'd given in what felt like years. "So, having fun?"

Hook was shaking the little rattle that was hanging out of the bag Mary Margaret had left on the stroller. "He's easily amused."

"Most babies are."

He gestured his chin toward the room she had just stepped out of. "How is he?"

"He's...distraught. What he saw...and heard... I just wish I knew what to say to him." She ran her hands down the back of her hips and into the pockets of her jeans. "I know what I'm going to do."

"To this Oogie?"

She bobbed her head in confirmation.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I'm going to make him pay for all that he's done. Our future is severely screwed up, because he decided villains should get happy endings at the snap of their fingers, and I'm not going to let that happen. It doesn't—_and_ _shouldn't_—work that way. You have to work and prove to others and to yourself that you're worthy of a happy ending. Like Regina. She...has worked so hard, and I've watched her work—for Henry, for herself, for us, for others—for atonement, for her happy ending. And to discover that all of her hard work is not only rewarded but utterly crushed right after in the future... No. I won't let that happen. I was brought here to bring happy endings, and I fully intend to keep that promise. His plans be damned."

"Swan—"

"No, Killian, I won't let our future be destroyed. We've only just got it back."

"Emma, I wasn't going to disagree with you. Merely point out the fact that your brother has...acquired a smell."

"Oh." She blushed a little then arched a brow. "Well, this should be interesting. I hope I remember all Mom taught me." She scooped him and grabbed the bag off the stroller, heading to the bathroom.

Killian looked at the rattle and gripped it in his hand. He wondered just how much of their personal future was utterly crushed. He gave the rattle one short shake then clenched it in his hand and rose, following Emma to see if he could offer a hand.

– – –

Barrel sat quietly in his cell, the cooing of a young infant in the air, and he tilted his head at the sight of the couple before him. He could sense the pain in the man and the uncertainty, and he smiled, knowing it was time. He rose up off the floor and drew in long, calming breath before closing his eyes and channeling the magic the Queen had used to lock him inside. He had one last job to do, and he always performed his jobs well.

This spell was going to take the last of him, and that was fine, because it would be worth it. It always was. He broke the spell on the cell and let the last of his being, the strongest of his magicks, find the one person they belonged to, and he fell to dust on the police station floor, his particles blown away without a chance to settle, unnoticed to those around him.

––

Regina gathered the ashes of the book that weren't scattered to the wind and focused her magic to recover what little she could. Only a few pages could be restored, but they were better than nothing. She teleported herself to the pawn shop and placed the few pages on the counter by Belle and Henry, who were working to find any evidence of the author within the book.

In the back room, Serah was resting, and Regina checked in on her. She was a little stronger now, and Regina wanted to remove the bracelet, but she wouldn't disrespect Serah's wishes. That nearly cost her one child, and she wouldn't let it cost her another. Or the world.

She cleaned herself up and looked over the pages, finding that whatever magic had been soaking the pages was long gone. They were just parchment now. She read over the words and learned no useful information. She set them down and ran a hand over her face. She was ready for this to be over. She hated the waiting. She hated the not knowing. She would rather be fighting than waiting.

She sighed deeply and flinched when Henry touched her shoulder. "What is it?"

"We found something." His eyes moved to his sister. "She's still the same?"

She set her hand over his and gently rubbed her thumb over his knuckles comfortingly. "She may not wake up this time."

"What'll happen to her?"

"I don't know." She didn't want to find out. She leaned her head back. "You found something?"

"Yeah, c'mere."

She rose, and they shuffled into the next room so he could show her what his and Belle's hard work had earned them. As they left the room, the magicks Barrel had released found their way to their vessel, and Serah's eyes snapped opened. She shot up, her lips parting as the magic entered her body.

She could feel all of her strength returning, the slashes on her back sealed up and encased him within her forever. She threw the blanket off herself and swung off the chaise, his blood—his will—coursing through her, and her lips twitched in a satisfied smile. Then...it vanished as the bracelet forced him and the magic he brought to recede.

Serah came to gasping, and she fell to her knees, the magic of the bracelet stronger than any magic Barrel had inside himself. She caught herself and struggled to her feet. The room was spinning, so she paused for a moment and steadied herself.

Once the room was still, she hurried to her mom and brother and Belle. She fell against the counter, her legs still weak, but Belle helped her stand, and she thanked her, meeting the eyes of her mom. "I—"

"We have a plan," Regina cut her off. "We're going to stop this. You'll need to rest, but we've got this."

"No, you don't," Serah insisted. "You may think you do, but you don't. He's one step ahead of us." She spoke without breathing, not wanting to waste a second. "He knows everything—planned everything—and you're wrong. Whatever plan you think you have to stop this...is incorrect."

"No, this plan will work," Henry assured her. "He couldn't know we were going to do this. We—"

"You're looking for the author. You're going to try and keep him safe while you hunt down his main bug, and it won't work. You'll only reveal to him where the author is, and it's all over if that happens. You need to trust me. Don't find the author until he's dead." She was pleading with both her eyes and voice, and Regina couldn't ignore that. She wanted to, but she couldn't. "You have to know what must be done. You must have another plan."

The memory played in Regina's head, but she didn't dare think about them. She closed her eyes briefly and thought—scrapped—blindly grasped for another plan. She had no choice and yet she could not make that choice. She would find another way. She always did. "I'm sure I can think of something else."

Serah nodded. "I'll help. I may not have my strength, but I have eyes and plenty of information on Oogie."

"Here, have my seat." Belle rose out of her chair and helped Serah into it. "Perhaps we should question Barrel. He may know more than he's let on."

"Yes, that's a start." Regina closed the storybook. "Go into the back and continue looking into this." She gave Belle an entirely different instructions with her eyes.

Belle nodded and accepted the book. "If you need me, let me know." She stepped into the back and grabbed her phone, slipping out the back door and calling Killian to give her a hand.

"Henry, why don't you call your mother and have her m—"

Emma came running into the pawn shop with Killian behind her, and they looked panicked. Regina narrowed her eyes, and Emma said, "He's gone. Barrel's gone. We—we left him alone for a second, and when we came back, he was gone. The spell's been broken too."

"Are you serious?" Henry gaped.

"Afraid so, kid." Emma looked like she blamed herself.

"What are we going to do?" Serah asked the room. "Where do we start?"

Emma blinked. "You're awake. When did she wake up?"

"A minute...ago." Regina spun around to look at her daughter. "And Barrel's gone..." She stepped toward Serah. "That's no coincidence, is it?"

Emma stepped forward and pulled Henry behind her and toward Hook, and Serah hung her head, running her tongue over her lips to moisten them. When she raised her head, she locked eyes with her mom. "It might not be. I honestly don't think it is, but I am me. I...I don't feel like I'm alone, but right now I assure you, it's me."

"Right now? What about in twenty minute? An hour?"

"I don't know."

She scoffed. "Were you even going to tell us?"

"No, I wasn't, because when I am no longer me, you will know. I wanted things among us to be as less antagonistic as possible, for as long as possible." She didn't move from the stool she sat on. "I'm sorry."

"What else aren't you telling us?" Emma hovered in front of her son like a shield.

"I can feel him inside," she whispered. "Whispering, magic, darkness. It's all twisting inside, changing me. Little by little, I am less me and more him. Soon...all that I am, all that I ever will be, or ever was, will be consumed by his needs, his wants, his power. It's the Oogie I remember, the future Oogie, crawling around inside of me." She swallowed a wave of nausea, unable to meet their eyes. "I wanted to stay with you all as me until he tried to possess me. I would've let you know then. I was going to look for a way to stop him in the meantime. I would never let you guys get hurt, no matter how selfish I'm being."

There was silence and then Henry stepped forward and grabbed a book. He smiled and offered to help her look. Killian felt his phone vibrating, and he left to meet Belle once reading the message. Emma and Regina stepped into the back to speak, keeping a close eye on Henry and Serah.

"So, what's the plan?" Emma faced Regina. "How do we stop him?"

"If the future main bugs is within Serah then the other one, the present and more important one, is out there somewhere. We find it and kill it, and this is over."

"How do we kill him?"

"Squish him."

"Regina."

"He's still a bug," she pointed out.

"He's still powerful." She folded her arms. "Maybe our combined magic will be enough, but if it's not, I'd like a backup plan."

"Why am I the one who has to come up with a backup plan?"

"You don't. We're brainstorming."

A beat.

Emma studied Regina's face and stepped closer. "In the woods...you looked pretty pale. What happened?" Regina rolled her eyes. "Regina, tell me. It can't make this any worse."

"It can."

"What happened?"

"It...was magic. A spell that...revealed knowledge to me, knowledge of what must be done, of what _I _must do." She laced her fingers together. "I'm ignoring it, because I'll find a different way to do this."

"Who did the spell?" Her eyes moved to the doorway. "You? Future you?"

"What? No."

"Well, you never know." She thought then inquired, "Serah?"

"Yes."

"Regina, if Serah gave you knowledge on how to stop Oogie then we have to do it. What's the information?"

"I'm not going to tell you. It's not some light little gossip," Regina snarled. "You couldn't understand the weight of this "information"."

Emma lowered her voice, "I won't if you don't tell me."

"No, what was shared with me was meant for _only me_."

"Then I'll just ask Serah."

"Don't!" Regina growled.

"If this helps save us then I will. You're being childish!"

"You don't know what you're asking!" she softly hissed.

"Then tell me so I can understand!"

"Guys?"

They turned to Henry and Serah who lingered in the doorway, watching them with unease etched on their faces, and Emma and Regina traded a glance before stepping away from each other. They had enough odds against them. They didn't need to be at each other's throats.

"Have you found something?" Regina spoke to break the quiet.

"Not yet. We just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"It is." Emma smiled for them. "We were just arguing over Oogie. It's... We'll sort it out."

"Are you sure?" Henry pressed.

"Positive." Regina offered him a small smile. "Go back to your research."

"Okay." He lingered for a moment, giving them a chance to tell him what was wrong, but they said nothing. He decided not to waste time and returned to his work. He had an idea on how to defeat Oogie. It might work too. He just needed a little more time. He didn't even know how much time he had left, but he hoped it was enough. It _had_ to be enough.

Serah did not follow her brother. Instead, she approached her mother and Emma, and she kept her voice low, "I gave you something? What was it? Will it help us?"

Regina stared into her eyes, lips sealed.

"Mom? If it's important, you have to tell us. We really don't have time to play around." She glanced at Emma then back to her mom. "What do you know?"

"She won't say," Emma stated. "It's too much for us to handle apparently. She won't even consider it. Whatever _it_ is."

"Because I know exactly how to make this stop." Regina looked only at her daughter. "I know how to prevent him from finding his power, and I know how to keep you safe from his thrall."

"You do?" Serah's face lit up. "That's amazing! We have to do it, right now. I'll go tell Henry. He'll be so happy."

"I'm not going to do it," Regina informed them.

"What?" Emma and Serah exclaimed.

"I am not going to do it."

"You have to! If it ends all of this, if it saves the entire world, then you have to do it!"

"Regina, we can't wait anymore. We've been stumbling for so long, and if you know how to not only give us the upper hand but the winning hand...you can't hold back on us. You can't just ignore it and try to find some other way. You haven't noticed, there isn't one!"

Regina's eyes were glossy at the mere thought of what she had to do, and they didn't understand why. Serah wanted to stop her mom's hurting, but if this caused her emotional pain then Emma and Henry and Mary Margaret would have to see her through it. She was stronger than anybody, and she would be fine. She has the most resilient heart, after all. She could handle loss better now as a woman than the stubborn child she used to be.

"If you don't want to do it, I will." Emma spread her palms wide. "Or Serah will. But we need to do it."

"Do you know?" Regina questioned. "Do you know what you did?"

Serah's eyes narrowed at the question. "What I did? I know that you said I gave you information, I'm assuming, but I don't know what you're talking about. I—I'm sorry."

Regina couldn't nod in understanding. She was preoccupied trying to conceal all that threatened to tear her apart. She thought she had been through the worst pain of her life already, but no, this was worse. She had to do it. This knowledge was so vital that Serah couldn't trust herself to even have the smallest memory of it. This was how they stopped him from getting his power, this is how they saved the world, and when it was over, they would have to find a way to kill Oogie. With what she had to do, Oogie of the future would perish, but the real one, the present one, would be fine, just not for long. She would tear him to pieces.

"All right then." Her lips trembled with each word, and she cleared her throat, though it did no good. "I'll need a moment to prepare."

Serah smiled. "Great. I'll go tell Henry."

Emma wanted to be happy, but she could see that Regina was on the verge of breaking down. She wanted to talk to her, ask her what was so unspeakably heinous about this information, but she knew Regina. She wouldn't talk, and to be honest, Emma wasn't sure she wanted to know. She could see Regina was engaged in concentrating on calming herself. She stepped out to give Regina a moment, and she joined the kids. She let her parents know they had a plan, and they were on their way over. Emma hoped whatever Regina was holding back wasn't too appalling. However she knew it was going to be. She could just feel it.

Henry and Serah were both thrilled to have a new, one Oogie didn't know, and Henry told her about his plan. Serah was impressed, and she was proud of his plan. It could work. It could seriously do some damage to that asshole, and with their magic in it, he would be toast. This was going to end better than it started, and she was appreciative.

––

"We came as fast as we could." Mary Margaret sounded winded. "What's the plan?"

"We have two," Henry announced. "Mom's working on the first right now, and I have the other all worked out. Mostly, we just need Oogie to complete it."

"Great." David leaned against the counter. "Tell us about your plan."

"Well, since Serah used light magic and that deathroot to keep her mark from spreading, I thought: why can't we do that to Oogie? It's his blood in the mark too, and while the magic and deathroot couldn't entirely erase the mark, they kept it from spreading." He felt himself smiling out of pride of his plan. "If Mom and Emma use light magic on him, it'll weaken him enough so that any protective magic he's using will be vanish and leave him defenseless. We can...crush him when that's done."

"That's...surprisingly simple," Mary Margaret stated.

"And brilliant," David marveled.

Emma smiled at her son. "Henry, that would work."

"Thanks, Mom." He bowed his head to cover his blush for a moment.

Serah was proud of her brother, and she turned to address what Mary Margaret had pointed out. "It sounds very simple, but it's going to take a lot of magic to weaken him. Luckily, with the both Mom and Emma using their magic, he won't stand a chance."

"And there's still the issue of finding him," Henry glumly tossed out. "And when I said "crush him", there's a bit more to it." He then explained how they would need a blade infused in whatever deathroot was mutated off of and Serah's blood. She was the key to this plan working. Without her blood, which was tainted with his, it was just a blade. They needed blood magic for this.

"I think I liked it when it was simple," Mary Margaret expressed.

"I haven't found the location of the plant," Henry divulged, "or the plant, but I'm sure I'll find it. It can't be that hard. We'll have some time when Mom does her...plan."

"We couldn't find it before, what makes you think we can find it now?"

"Well, we have to try." Mary Margaret lifted her chin. "I'll go talk to Mother Superior. She may know something that will help. David, why don't you stay and look over those books again? It's all we have, so we have to try."

"All right." He moved behind the counter and back to the pile of books they'd already looked through.

"I'll try and track down Oogie. We need his location if any of this is going to work. I'll go—" Emma was cut off by Regina.

"He'll come to us." She sauntered into the room. "Once his main source of power has been taken away, he'll come to us."

"You found his main source of power?" Emma almost laughed in relief. "What is it?"

"It's Serah." She couldn't look at the girl. "We—I kill Serah, and we destroy his only chance to get all of his power back. He'll have to restart."

A beat. The entire room had halted, Mary Margaret stared at Regina, her mouth agape open in shock, trying to wrap her mind around what Regina just said. David's brows were furrowed, but he wasn't confused: he was trying to find a way to make what Regina just said be correct unsuccessfully. Emma had wide eyes that lowered to the floor as she realized now what this had been about from the very start, and Henry's eyes were on his sister, who looked undisturbed by what their mother had just said. She had been expecting this. How could _anyone_ expect this?

"Kill her?" Henry finally belted. "Why? Why would we have to kill her?"

"Because it's my blood that kills and revives him as well," Serah answered. "I'm the key, just like you said." She hugged her arms.

"It's not your blood that revives him," Regina amended her daughter's statement. "It's your heart. Your pure, hopeful heart."

"My heart?" Serah set a hand over her chest. "Then...why isn't he at full power now?" He was inside her body, so surely he had made his way to her heart by now. Or was at least approaching it.

"Your heart isn't in your body. You gave me the memory of where you hid your heart and removed any knowledge of that location."

She fell back into the chair behind her and let out a shaky breathe. "I knew?" Of course she knew. She may have known right from the start but only truly accepted it when she was ran out of time. She would do whatever she had to do to keep her family safe, and she was prepared to die for them. Her heart and the magic it contained were both a blessing and a curse to the world. She wouldn't let anybody use it for darkness. She would use it to free them. She would die for them to live. It wasn't as if she were truly dying, simply...ending her future.

"There has to be another way!" Mary Margaret desperately cried. "We can't kill her. That's—that's—"

"Not up to us," David finished. "We can't make this decision, only she can. Only _they_ can."

All eyes moved to Regina and Serah, and Serah's eyes to her mother's, and Regina knew what was going to come out of her mouth. Of course she knew. Serah was her daughter.

"I won't let you guys be in danger if I can help." Serah slowly rose from her chair. "I won't run like a coward I wasn't raised to be. I'm already living on borrowed time, and it's not as if I actually exist anyway. Each of you do, and I won't let you get hurt—or die—for a...spirit." She was going to bring back the light at any cost. She could pay this price, for them. "It...was always meant to be this way." She slipped away and into the back room, and Henry followed.

"Regina," Emma started.

"Please, don't, Emma." She sounded defeated, her tone numb. "I'll do what's right, and doing what's right isn't always easy. I'll...be back." She teleported out of the shop, but not more Emma saw the tears fall from her eyes and down her cheeks.

Henry caught up to Serah as she pulled down a bowl. "What are you doing?"

"You'll need my blood. That's how blood magic works." She scanned the room for a knife and spotted one.

"Serah, do you want to talk about this? It doesn't have—"

"It does, Henry." She picked up a knife from the table and returned to the bowl. "I'm not going to let any of you die just because you think you can find another way. I've seen too many people die because they tried to find another way. There isn't one here, but because of this there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a five years." She set the knife down and grasped his cheeks, making him look at her. "I will keep you guys safe, and you won't remember any of this one day. It'll just be some strange dream, and you'll be fine. I swear you'll be fine."

Tears flooded his eyes. "I won't forget this, or you. You're my sister, and I won't forget."

She grinned at him, her eyes reflecting his own, and she nodded. "Don't worry about me. Worry about them and yourself, because your futures are so bright and so stunning that all of my memories—" her voice broke "—are fading. My future doesn't exist anymore." The truth was her past didn't exist anymore, and she was fading away. The moment her parents were to meet again and conceive her had passed. She was going to blur out, but for their spell to work, she needed to die. Her heart, her life, needed to end, and that would end the monster inside of her, drawing in the monster out there. This needed to happen soon. She had fifteen years worth of memories to be wiped away, and that gave them time. Not much though.

She released his cheeks and gripped the knife. She held her arm over the bowl, placing the blade on her skin and she dug in, breaking the flesh. She groaned in pain, her breath leaving in a gasp, and blood slid down her arm and into the bowl.

Henry looked at her, not the blood, not the blade—at her. She looked back at him, seeing the brother she once knew and the man that he was going to grow into. She smiled happily and even let out a small laugh. Knowing that soon she wasn't going to exist was more peaceful than she thought it would be.

– – –

They stood in the middle of town square, Serah in the middle of their semi-circle with her arm wrapped, and Regina was standing in front of her, holding her white heart in her hand. Henry and Emma were to the left of her, Mary Margaret and David were behind Serah, prepared for when Oogie came to get them, and Emma was ready too, but she wasn't going to leave Henry's side.

Regina lifted the light, beating heart to her chest, and she could remember holding Serah as a baby, hearing her little laughs, and tears burned in her eyes. These were Serah's memories, ones that she had forgotten as she grew, ones that would be erased in mere seconds. She could only hope she made better memories next time.

"I think it's time." Emma scanned the area. "I don't see him, but with the heart exposed like this, I don't want to risk it."

"There's never a time for this," Henry murmured.

"You're right." Regina adjusted her grip on the heart. "Let's not give him an opportunity to take her heart."

"Hey, Regina, wait." David saw Belle and Hook in the distance, and they were moving at top speed.

Belle and Killian joined them, both panting, but they appeared delighted and a bit worn out. Killian held the book in his hand, and Emma and Regina knew then what they had found.

"I have good news." Belle's smile lit up her face, and she let Killian say it, as it was his find.

"We found the author."

"Then I think you forgot something," Regina retorted.

"Well, we know where he is, but we wanted to wait until we had...you all. What's going on?" Belle could sense the graveness of the situation they'd stumbled into in the air, and something was either about to occur or was occurring. Her eyes fell on the heart Regina held. "Whose is that?"

"Mine." Serah gripped her hands in front of her.

"And what is she doing with your heart?" Belle really hoped she got the situation wrong.

"I have to die in order to stop Oogie."

"What? That's—insane. Why would you agree to do this? We have the author now. We can find another way."

"No, this is the only way." Regina could feel her heart beating in time with Serah's. "Nothing else we do will be enough."

"You're going to kill your daughter? To save...all of us?"

"It's what she wants."

Belle met Serah's eyes. "You want to die?"

"I want you all to live," she acknowledged. "As long as my heart exists, he will always be a threat. He'll hide and bury himself for years if he has to. As long as my heart beats...he's happy ending, the hell I endured growing, will always be a possibility. This has to be done."

"I—can't watch this." Belle walked over to Killian and took the book. "If you need me, I'll...be at the shop." She was gone before anyone could blink.

Killian glided to Emma's side and laced his fingers through hers, squeezing them, and she squeezed back, an arm around Henry's shoulders. Henry was thinking about the author and he had an idea. He freed himself from his mom's grip and run after Belle. He heard his mom call for him, but he didn't look back. He couldn't watch it either. He didn't want to see.

Regina was grateful Henry left. She didn't want him to see her do this. She wanted to be a hero, but this felt erroneous. It was her child she was killing, so of course it was a mistake. It was supposed to be Regina dying first, not Serah. This was unnatural, and it would feel unnatural for the rest of her life. She brought this girl into the world and she was taking her from it too. She would need all the strength she could muster to do this, and then some.

Closing her fingers around the heart, Regina dared not close her eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off her daughter for even a second, worried she would miss a detail and forget what she looked like. In the future, she might look different. She would certainly _act and be different_, and Regina would love her, but Regina loved this version of her daughter right now as well. She wanted to memorize every detail of her—from the way she had done her hair to the way she stood.

Serah took a moment. She lifted her head upward, looking at the beautiful clouds and sky, the wind gathering up her hair, and she inhaled the scent of the world she may or may not be returning to. She spread her fingers apart and closed her eyes for a second, taking it all in—one final memory.

Lowering her head to look at her mother, she gave a nod to let her know she was ready, and Regina began to tighten her grip on her daughter's heart. Regina so badly wanted this to be over quickly, she didn't want her to suffer, but she didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be the one to kill her own child, but who else could do this and she wouldn't regret it? The heart she held in her hand was a piece of hers and a piece of Robin's hearts. It was perfect, pure with flakes of gold swirling around inside, a heart like Regina had never seen, and she had to crush it. It was special, like hers, like Henry's, like Emma's. She didn't want to take it from the world, but if she didn't, there wouldn't be a world.

She let out a small cry when the pressure grew, and she tried to not let it show. She didn't want her mom to see the pain, so she pulled out a smile, even though her eyes were misty with tears, and she gave one last request. "Wait for me."

Regina inhaled deeply, trying to swallow all that threatened to burst inside of her. "Always." She looked at her brave, brave girl and felt so proud, so hopeful. Even in a world that darkness had engulfed, she still managed to raise a daughter who was so beautifully selfless when it counted. She and all of the others had kept each other safe, and they were still heros. It simply broke her heart to learn that her future self sent her child back here to die. She was the key, not just to saving them and the world, but to showing Regina that no matter how bumpy and dark the path before her was, she still had hope. She was still good. They all were. That was something to hold onto.

As the heart crumbled to dust in Regina's palm, a light surrounded Serah's body as she collapsed to her knees, her eyes wide and filled with hope, with love. She vanished into bright nothingness before their eyes and a cloud of black shattered, but the light that remained attacked and devoured it, leaving nothing behind.

Regina uncurled her fingers and saw her palm was empty. She lifted her eyes to where Serah once stood, but there was nothing. She had gone as silently as she had arrived, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"Regina." Emma's voice was thick, heavy like her heart, and she couldn't find any words to ease Regina's pain. She didn't even know where to begin. No one had ever lost their child by their own hand, and even if they had, no words would even begin to console them.

Regina was about to speak, but the words didn't come. She clenched her fists, feeling heart-rending sorrow and outrage swelling in of her. That dark place inside of her—a place that had been fed and fueled by Daniel's death—that she had chained away for Henry's sake, for her happy ending's sake, was about to break up. The chains were rattling and knotting, loosening, and she felt as though she could destroy the entire world on this blinding rage.

In the distance, Emma and Regina could feel powerful magic exploding, and they spun toward it. David pulled Mary Margaret behind him, and Killian took his place at Emma's side. Emma and Regina readied themselves as that power moved toward them.

––

Henry ran into the store and caught Belle, panting roughly. She was upset, but who wouldn't be at that news. Belle had read their entire lives in that book, and she felt an attachment to Serah. The words that had been written were so moving and sentient Belle couldn't stop her heart from reaching out to Serah. She felt as though she'd known Serah all of Serah's life, that she'd helped her study and tied her ratty shoelaces and defended her. She could almost hear Serah giggling as she read stories to her. The magic in that book was quite simple. It was love. Pure love for the world and for their family that made every word come to life and grip the heart of the reader. It was...breathtaking and gut-wrenching, especially considering what Regina had to do.

Belle set the book on the counter, hand over her stomach, and she turned to Henry. "What—what can I do?"

"You found the author, right?" He hurried over to her.

"We know where he is and how to get him out." She nodded.

"Good, because I need his help."

"With what?"

"I need to find the plant that deathroot mutated off of. It's the only way Serah's death will be worth it. We have the blade and the blood, but we need this plant."

Belle narrowed her eyes in thought. "Wait, deathroot? I remember something I read about..." She thought hard for a moment then walked into the back and began rummaging through a cabinet.

"What are you doing?"

"Of course. Why didn't I see it before? I read about it, but I didn't put it together properly. I thought it was something elaborate, but it's quite the opposite." She looked over her shoulder at him. "It's just a root here. A root of a dead tree."

Henry caught on. "All of the trees in the future were burned down to nothing, so they're all dead. And their roots." He joined her. "How are you going to find dead tree roots? Ones that will actually help?"

"Rumple was many things, and a hoarder of magical items was one of them. If it could be bottled, he had it." She looked over the vials in the cabinet. "Trees have life inside them, and some trees even have magic—like the one that brought Emma here. There has to have been another tree with similar properties that had been destroyed but still had its roots. Maybe Rumple thought he could...get to Neal somehow with them."

"What if it's in that secret dungeon he has?"

"Why would it be?"

"For safe keeping."

She shook her head. "No, he only put magic he couldn't control in there. It has to be in here." She paused. "The safe. You keep searching here." She hurried to the front room and to the safe hidden behind the picture. She pulled the picture down and felt the ground shake.

"What was that?" Henry exclaimed.

"He must be here already. We need to hurry!"

––

Emma rolled onto her back, gritting her teeth and moving hair out of her face. She gripped her side, seeing more black flames, and she wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. She knew this son of a bitch would be powerful, but this was ridiculous. She had to wear him down. Henry ran after Belle to get the last needed ingredient for the dagger. She knew he'd release the author and get him to somehow make or locate deathroot. They just had to keep him back without using much magic, because they'd need all they had for the final blow. In theory it was a cakewalk, but in practice...they were getting their asses handed to them on silver platters.

She pushed herself up and held her hands up, preparing another wave of offensive magic. She was about to strike when she noticed the black flames weren't Oogie's. They were Regina's. She couldn't think about it now. She had to keep him away from the pawn shop and the people. Her mom had taken them to safety before they...tended to Serah, but she didn't want him getting close. They needed to stop him, so she hoped Henry and Belle got what they needed and came to help them. They were running out of options. If they didn't hit him with full on light magic soon, they would be killed.

Regina panted, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, and she glowered at her enemy through her hair. She could sense and see the darkness in her magic. She wanted to use light magic. She wanted to hit him where it hurt. She wanted to make him suffer as she was suffering, but she couldn't. She had no control over what came. She tried to, but the emptiness, that simmering rage, was consuming every ounce of light inside her. She wanted it to stop. She wanted this all to end, but it wouldn't be over as long as he was alive. It would never be over. She would have to annihilate him.

She shot another blast of fire at him, the black flames not affecting him, and she clenched her jaw, panting. Her rage was destroying her. She needed to take a moment and calm down, but if she calmed down, her mind would return to what happened to her daughter, what she had done to her. She couldn't allow that to happen, so she inhaled and released another wave of fire at him.

Emma saw the struggle Regina faced, and she had to help. She had to make her see her emotions, no matter how influential they were, did not control her. She was in great agony right now, but she needed to centralize. This was what he wanted: them being clouded with misery so that he obliterate them. She wouldn't let them fall. She needed to get to Regina.

David tried to flank him, but his sword didn't break the barrier Oogie had around himself. He flew back, the sword landing beside him, and he grunted. He had to get at him. Regina and Emma were being thrown around, and he had to do something effective. He had to get his attention so when the dagger was complete Emma or Regina could finish him. He picked up his sword once again and charged.

Mary Margaret loosed another arrow, but it bounded off the barrier once more. She had plenty of arrows, but they weren't going to do any good. If they were some type of liquid light magic she would dip the tips of her arrows in, that'd be great. She'd just have to keep trying. Or...perhaps she could get Blue. She might be able to do more damage than her or David. She might be able to stall him somehow. Regina wasn't looking too good, and Emma kept getting knocked around. It was worth a shot. Gripping her bow tightly, she wanted for an opportunity then ran off to get Blue.

Killian could see how unsuccessful David was, and he knew he wasn't going to be much of a help either. He needed something more than a sword. He didn't have magic, and a gun wouldn't work. He scanned the area and zeroed in on the power lines. It would be a mess to fix, but at this rate, the entire town would be reduced to ash. Regina had already set aflame to multiple cars. It was the only thing they haven't tried. He spotted a way to get access and dove for it.

Emma wheezed, gripping her knees, her hair in her face, and she tried to straighten up, tried to fight back, but her body was beaten down. She could feel the bruising on her ribs, the blood on her thigh, the burns on her hip. She couldn't keep this up. She was getting all of his attacks, and she couldn't understand why. Regina was attacking him more than anyone, so why target Emma? It was senseless. Unless he wanted Regina...intact. He was going to use her heart. The heart with the most resilience. Son of a bitch. He had this all planned out, didn't he? Was Serah even a part of it? Did she have to die?

Animosity surged through Emma, her injures banished to the furthest corners of her mind, and she stood up, removing her jacket. She stepped back and dug her feet in, inhaling as much as her lungs would allow and channeling her magic. She raised her hands, feeling her magic rush through her, protective and light, and she unleashed fire onto him. Blue flames wrapped around the barrier like fingers, closing in and compressing it, debilitating the barrier and almost obliterating it.

Then black flames came and released the blue flames' grip. The barrier bounced back to full strength, Emma could see that Regina was only trying to help, but the darkness in her magic was only aiding Oogie. If this was going to work, they needed to be in sync. They needed to have control over their emotions and use them as fuel for light magic. Whoever wielded the blade needed to trust that the other would channel as much potent light magic into the blade as necessary. They needed to work in tandem, or this was fruitless.

Emma moved away from Oogie's next attack, the cars behind her turned to piles of dust, and she made a mad dash to Regina. Emma then caught on. The attacks weren't meant to kill her, they were meant to keep her from Regina. He wanted them apart, so that they couldn't defeat him. He knew they could do it. He was a coward, a lowlife villain that would be erased permanently. She just had to get to Regina, to calm her, to unblock her light magic. She wasn't sure how, but she had to try. There was no choice. She had to help Regina see that she could overcome her pain.

Evading the next attack, Emma struck back and closed even more space between them. She could feel his next strike, and it was fatal. She pushed herself to move faster, and he released a ball of black energy that would encircle her and ultimately kill her. She tried to outrun it, but it was almost as if it were moving with her. It was going to get her.

An inch away from impact, Emma braced herself, eyes closing as if that could protect her from the agony of what was going to ensue, and then...nothing. She opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Blue, who had made the energy ball divert from its path.

"Go," was all Blue said.

Emma nodded and stormed over to Regina, unaware of Blue collapsing behind her, and Emma stopped at Regina's side. She wouldn't get a word in like this. Regina was rather engrossed in trying to burn Oogie to a crisp, and her flames weren't doing anything to hurt him or help them. Emma wasn't going to wait until she was ready to talk, and it might cause them a lot of suffering when Oogie had no one to focus on, but heros had to embrace and swallow the suffering so civilians didn't have to.

Emma grabbed Regina's wrists before her next attack and forced her to look at her. "You need to stop," Emma ordered. "You aren't do any damage. You're only wearing yourself out. Serah died to give us a chance at defeating him, and I won't let you waste that. You need to pull yourself together and stop wasting so much magic! I need you, Regina, and you need me if we're going to put an end to him!"

Regina's eyes were red-rimmed, but she had shed no tears. Her throat was closed with sobs, so she could only nod. She was trying to use light magic. That's why she kept firing at him, but her magic wasn't cooperating with her. She knew her sorrow was great, but to affect her magic as it was was novice. She could handle this later, but now more than ever she needed her concentration. She kept trying to find it, but it kept slipping out of her reach.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, but we can both imagine what will happen if we fail. If you want _us_ to have a future,_ if you want Serah_ to have a future, you need to hold it together."

Regina stiffly nodded.

"Be ready." Emma released her. "On three."

She directed her attention on what was important. On _who_ was important. Henry was the most important person in her life. Robin. Roland. Emma. Mary Margaret. The people of this town. She had to keep her focus for all of them, and for the future of her children.

"One..."

"...two." Regina drew in air, allowing it to reach her and break through the grip her sorrow had on her.

"Three."

Together they moved and knocked Oogie back with a shot of light magic, Killain had let loose a line that caught Oogie and electricity erupted around the barrier. The barrier shimmered and wavered for just a second, but in that second, Henry called to them. He held a dagger that was glowing with light magic, and Regina and Emma sped over to him.

"You did it!" Emma beamed at him, taking the dagger. "You found the plant it mutated off of!"

"Yeah." He didn't bother to waste time with the details. "You only have one chance to do this. We don't have anymore blood or roots. Whoever does this needs to make sure they're able, or it'll kill you too. Be careful."

Regina gave him a quick embrace. "Thank you. Now, go. Get back to Belle and stay safe."

Henry nodded and gave them a confident smile. "Good luck." He then turned on his heel and peeled out.

"I'll cover you." Regina nudged Emma. "Be precise and move as quickly as you can."

"Wait, me? You want me to do this?"

"You're the steady one right now."

"Which is all the more reason why it should be you." Emma held the dagger out. "You're the more experienced one, and you'll be swifter than me. I can give you my magic, but my body... It's running on fumes. I'm sore and bruised, and we don't have time to debate. Go. I've got your back."

Regina studied Oogie, who had recovered already, then set her hand over Emma's and met her eyes. She saw Emma's limitless confidence in her, and Regina knew that this was her chance of making him suffer for all he'd done to her, and all he would have done to her. She clenched the dagger and flitted toward him.

Emma let loose series of fireballs at him, they flew by Regina's shoulder, and she tightened her grip on the hilt. She position the blade in front of her and as soon as she was close enough, she slashed the blade across the barrier, being sucked inside that ball of dark energy.

She tumbled to her knees once inside, the energy crackling around her, flattening her lungs, forcing her down. She was suffocating on the darkness, and she was immobilized. She felt herself being melded into the ball, becoming one with him, becoming a power source, very like Serah was meant to become. They shared the same blood, so perhaps she would give him a boost. And if he got to her heart then there would be no stopping him. It was already darkened, therefore it was easy pickings.

Her eyelids sagged, and her eyes drifted down to the blade in her hand. The dagger didn't waver even amidst all of this. She had to be like the blade. She had to resist all of this, because she was better than it. She had fought and clawed and screamed for happiness, blood soaking her hands, people hating and fearing her. And yet hope had washed over her—light had washed over her—and those same people now trusted and even protected her. Emma was relying on her to do this, Henry was relying on her, and she wouldn't let them down. She wouldn't let herself down.

Regina lifted her head, seeing through the darkness, and she struggled to stand. The pressure was weighing her down, but she would not submit. She picked herself up as she had done many times before, and she inhaled his darkness, challenging him to give her his best shot. The Queen bows down before no one.

She plunged the blade into his body, the entire darkness merely chuckled, but it was chocked, unnerved. She pushed the blade in further, his darkness receding, but only for a moment. It began to crawl up her hand and up her arm with the intent to absorb her, as he had done with those in the Sorcerer's Hat. She put all of her light magic into the dagger, willing away his darkness, but it wasn't enough. _She_ wasn't enough, and the darkness was rapidly approaching her torso, her heart.

Then unalloyed light shone through. Light devoured the darkness around her, the chuckle had turn into a wailing cry, and Regina twisted the dagger, one last blow for her daughter, for all of the pain she endured in her short life, and the light that Emma and Regina had channeled swelled and grew and consumed. Regina had to close her eyes their light was so radiant.

– – –

Belle and Henry saw a wave of light approaching, and Belle shut her eyes and covered his as it neared, and when she was sure it was gone, they looked. They both dashed out the door and to the town square.

Emma was standing up while Regina was still on the ground, Mary Margaret and David stepped out from behind a car, and Killian was jogging over to Emma from an alley. They appeared to be uninjured, but that didn't mean they were all right. They were still kicking, and that's all that mattered.

Henry was happy to see his mom all right, but he frowned when Regina didn't move. He bolted over to her and dropped to his knees beside her. "Mom?" He set a hand over her hand, and her eyes opened. She sucked in a long, dazed breath, but smiled at him like he was the sun, and she hugged him tightly. "Mom."

She kissed his cheek. "It's all right, Henry. It's over."

Emma beamed at the sight of Killian and embraced him, groaning at the pain she now felt, but she laughed happily. She leaned into him, contented and then she saw a small wriggling thing a few feet from Regina. She pushed away from Hook and hobbled her way over to it, slamming the heel of her boot into it with all of her weight. She turned her heel left and right to ensure his little bug body was crushed to a pulp.

Lifting her foot, she was quite satisfied with the gooy mess left behind and returned to Killian and her parents. She accepted a tight hug from her son and kissed the top of his head then she was cuddled in between her parents. This was a truly victorious moment. Celebratory drinks were on her.

Regina set the pile of smashed guts aflame and stepped back from it, but she didn't get far. The grief she had put aside knocked her to her knees, and she sobbed deeply, her nails scrapping over the gravel.

The victorious feeling faded, the smiles were gone, and it might as well have been pitch-black and raining. Henry went over to his mom and consoled her, Emma leaned into Killian and gripped his jacket, and Mary Margaret walked over to Regina to support her. David put an arm around Belle, who had tears in her eyes, and it was silent, save for the sound of Regina's sobs that tore into them, shaking them to their core. It was a sight none of them would ever forgot, no matter how much they wanted to.

–––

Emma was recovering from bruised ribs, so David did most of the police work for her, not that there were many disturbances in Storybrooke, but he wanted to do as much as he could to let Emma rest. She was so exhausted lately, between practicing her healing magic and trying to manage the town while Regina was...unreachable. Blue was taken to the hospital and was recovering swiftly due to the burst of light magic that was released. It removed the taint of Oogie's dark magic that would have left her wracked in pain for hours before she died. Belle had the shop back in one piece instead of a mess of books tossed here and there haphazardly with the aid of Henry, who didn't want to crowd his mom. She was up and running properly, checking to make sure Oogie couldn't somehow come back. There was no possible way. No magic could bring him back, so she tucked the Hat safely back where it should be and didn't think on what happened.

As for Regina, she had been in bed for days now recovering. The magic she had used left her frail, and she was mourning the loss of a child. She was grateful no one asked her about it. She would rather be left alone. She would see Henry again tomorrow. They were going to plant a tree in the backyard for Serah. She wanted to see something grow in honor of the girl who was sent back to them. She loved to garden as well. Feeling the warm earth on her fingertips...used to bring her such solace. She hoped it still did.

– –

Regina smiled at Henry as he talked about school, and she was overjoyed he was readjusting to life. It had been two weeks, and things were going back to normal. She would return to her office next week. She just needed to get a few more things sorted, but then she would be ready to face the town's problems. Hers came first right now, and they understood that.

"There." Regina dusted off her hands, rising to her feet. "I haven't planted anything in a long time. This was nice."

"Yeah." Henry smiled and stepped inside to wash his hands. "So, are you going back to work tomorrow?"

"Henry, I told you when I'm going back to work."

"I know, but...I think you're ready to return now."

"Well, I'm not. I still have some more...things to work out, and my magic is slowly returning to me. I still feel a little weakened." She moved beside him to wash her hands. "And losing Serah was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to handle." She still kept her switchblade in her pocket and under her pillow. She traced the C with her fingertip sometimes, still able to feel that heart beating against her own, hearing those little laughs. It made her ache to remember, but it felt good to know she had happy times, that it wasn't all gloom and doom. She just wondered what the C was. What did she name her daughter?

Henry's face contorted with puzzlement. "Who?"

"Serah." She studied his face. "You don't remember her?"

"No. I don't know any Serahs. Sorry." He paused. "Should I?"

She opened her mouth to investigate further but decided against it and shook her head. "It's nothing. Why don't we go out for lunch? I could use some fresh air."

"That'd be great." He grinned at her. "Can I call Mom and let her know?"

"Yeah, go ahead." She dried her hands and watched him call Emma. She frowned to herself. How could he forget her? She wasn't here long, but to have no clue who Serah was seemed implausible. Serah had no magic to make him forget her, and he knew just yesterday. He knew exactly who she was and even spoke of her. Did Emma do this? Did she make a potion that allowed him to forget who she was as a way of easing his pain? If so, that was both kind and very cruel.

They met with Emma and Killian at the dinner, ordered their usual and spoke about nothing important. Emma was so happy to see Regina out and about again. She had been worried that using so much magic and being enveloped by so much darkness had crippled Regina in some way. That wasn't the case. Although Regina looked a bit bemused and heavyhearted. She didn't know why, but she was going to ask.

Henry and Killian left to give Granny a hand with something in the back, so Emma used that time to ask Regina what was wrong.

"Do you remember anyone named Serah?"

Emma searched Regina's eyes. "I'm sorry, but no. Should...should I remember someone named Serah?"

"Don't you remember that she's part of the reason how we defeated Oogie?"

"Regina, it took all of us to defeat him. Blue nearly died, and you were...shaken for weeks. I know it was a rough battle, and you want to separate yourself from it, but don't. You were there. You finished him. It was you. He will never hurt us again."

Regina scoffed softly under her breath. "Right, of course."

Emma gave her a small sympathetic smile. "It'll get better. And if you need to talk, I'm here. So is Archie."

Regina returned the smile. "I need to go revise my order. I'll just take a coffee."

"Regina, that's not food. You need to eat something solid."

"I had a big breakfast. Planting a tree is hard work, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day." She slipped out of the booth. "I'll have some dry toast if it'll get you off my back."

"It will."

Moving the counter, Regina didn't understand what happened. Emma hadn't made herself forget. She didn't know how. Regina had asked her about her magic, but that didn't come up, and Emma didn't lie, not over something this imperative to Regina. What the hell was happening to this town? Why were they forgetting about her? How could they forget? They all liked and supported her before Regina ever did. What the hell was going on?

Through lunch Regina dropped hints to see if maybe she was wrong about Emma using magic, but she wasn't. Emma was focused on healing magic and fire. She wanted to have a few lessons with Regina as soon as possible, and Regina could see her reason for staying away no longer made sense to them. She couldn't tell them she'd lost her daughter, because they didn't know who was talking about and would assume she had miscarried. She would have to figure this out. Was there someone in town who cast a forgetting curse on everyone but her? Was she immune because Serah was her daughter? She was going to find out who was behind this and make them pay. She had enough trouble trying to remember her daughter. She wouldn't sit idly by while someone wiped Serah away.

– – –

Robin allowed the water wash over him, his head clogged full of thoughts with nowhere to go, and he felt trapped. Trapped by his loyalty, by his love for his son, by his respect and his code. He couldn't choose between his son and the woman he loved. He never wanted to make that choice. He never wanted it to come down to two of the most important people in his heart. He didn't know what to do, what to say, and this world was strange. Cruel, even. He didn't want to begin to understand it, but he had to. It was his world now. Their world.

He ran a hand down his face. It felt so wrong. All of this felt like...a dream that he had wanted for so long, but had gotten in a cheap, dark way. He didn't know why he felt so...isolated. All of his options lead him to abandoning someone he loved, and he would not leave any of them behind. It had only been a few weeks, and his chest ached. His heart was more of a knot, straining to beat, straining to trust this was right. In the pit of his stomach, he knew it wasn't right. None of this was, and it wasn't fair.

In the other room, Marian beamed as her son watched TV, enjoying the bright cartoon boy and his three friends. She presumed they were woman, but they kept being referred to as "Gems". She shrugged it off and returned to wiping off the counter. She came across Robin's phone, and she picked it up, curious about the object, and she unlocked it, finding it opened to Regina's contact information.

She glanced at the bathroom door and frowned. It made her heart throb every time she thought about Regina. She loved Robin dearly, but he was not the man she had married. He was not the man she fell in love with. She didn't want to be the reason he was unhappy. She didn't want to be the reason his eyes reflected such misery. She wanted him to laugh and smile and be so, so happy. She wanted him to the best man he could be, the best father he could be, but he was a shell of a good man. He wasn't doing anyone any good, not like this.

"Robin." She held the phone in both hands and waited as he exited the bathroom in a robe. "What's this?"

He peeked down at the picture of Regina and gulped around the lump lodged in his throat, not speaking.

"Why is Regina's number on here?"

"I—I'm sorry. I've been...thinking about her."

She looked down at the phone then back at him. "Do you want to be with her?" She watched the war dance across his eyes and smiled bitter-sweetly. "I feel...like you're here but you're not here. I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but I can guess, and I don't..." She dropped off. "I'm here. Roland and I are fine. If you want to go back to Regina, you can go back. You just have to decide what you want—_what you truly want_—now."

"Marian—"

"I am not a helpless maiden," she interrupted him. "I made my way through the Enchanted Forest just fine. I can find my way in New York just fine too. And we can work out an arrangement for Roland, like normal divorced parents do. Our situation isn't perfect, but...we can make it work either way. I just want you to be happy, Robin. I love you, and if you love me at all, you'll decide what's best for you." She met his eyes. "If Roland and I weren't here, tell me where you want to be. The first thing that jumps into your mind."

Guilt riddled his face, and he replied, "With Regina."

She smiled. "I know, so...call her. I'm sure she can find a way to get you back into town. And if you can get in, so can Roland. I'll have him for a week or you have him for a week, or you'll take weekends. I don't know, but we'll find a way to make this work."

"This city is dangerous, Marian. I can't just leave you and our son—"

"Robin, I can protect myself, and I sure as hell can protect our son. I spent years with you and the Merry Men. I can hold my own pretty damn well." She smirked. "Now, shall I call or you? I think it'd be less awkward if you call."

He slowly smiled and hugged her tightly, and she smiled around the tears that burned her eyes. "Thank you, Marian."

She had a second chance at life with her family again, and she wasn't going to waste it. She was going to get a job, be alive, and maybe find love again. She would figure out all of the things here, and she would make it work. She was tough, and the world wasn't that scary. She was just thrilled that his smile returned, even if the man she hoped he still was hadn't.

– – –

Regina woke to a chaise full of books, and she rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand, discovering she had fall asleep so fast she hadn't had time to change her clothes. She swung out of bed, something remotely heavy fell from her shirt, and she looked at it.

It was a switchblade with a C and M engraved on it. She picked it up, running her fingertip over the designs carved inside. It was pretty. She wondered who it belonged to. It wasn't her mother's, and it certainly wasn't her. Perhaps it was something she found last night when she rummaged through everything in her vault. She had found a lot of things she'd never seen before.

Setting the switchblade down on the chaise, she transported herself home and took a shower. She made some coffee to wake herself up. She had a long day ahead of her, and she didn't want to fall asleep with all the paperwork she was behind on. She filled a to-go cup after drinking two cups prior and headed out. She called Emma to inquire about the switchblade to see if she knew who it belonged to, but Emma had no idea either. She shrugged it off and focused on the tone Emma had. She knew something Regina didn't, and it was something good. Emma sounded jovial.

"What have you done?" Regina questioned, eyes narrow even though they were speaking on the phone.

"What? Me? Not a thing."

"Emma, I know you. You're a poor lair."

She sighed. "I'm not lying. Not completely. Look, I have to go help Dad with some paperwork today, so I'll see you later."

"What paperwork?"

"Police stuff. It's not that exciting. I'll drop by for lunch."

"If you bring me grilled cheese—"

"I won't. I'll...find something new."

"All right. I'll see you at lunch."

"Yeah. Bye." She hung up.

Regina tucked her phone into her pocket and continued the path to her office, feeling like she had left or lost something. It was a queer feeling. It might be that she didn't want to go and deal with the hassle of the paperwork that was surely awaiting her. She had been gone for two weeks and two days. The last time she left, Mary Margaret made a mess of everything. Luckily Mary Margaret was teaching again, so there were no more hideous paintings to burn.

Arriving at her office, she downed the last of her coffee and began to work on a breath mint. She climbed the stairs and opened the door, lifting her eyes find someone in her office. She set on her briefcase down on the table then did a double take of the man and stared, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Robin?"

He smiled and pushed off her desk. "Regina."

The space between them evaporated, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder, inhaling the scent of soap, coconuts and freshly cleaned skin. He felt as though he hadn't seen in her two lifetimes, and he wasn't going to let go of her no matter how happened next. As long as he had her by his side, he was ready to face anything the world threw at them. He hoped that for now the world was undisturbed, because he just wanted to be with her.

Regina wasn't sure what to make of his return, but he was there. He looked the same, held her in the same, smelled the same with just a bit of city air on him, and he was really there. She didn't know why or how, but she didn't care. She was so delighted to see him. She was worried that she might never see him again, that that day by the town line was the very last time she would feel this way. It wasn't. She was relieved it wasn't.

She pulled back to ask him how and why, but his lips found hers first. She slipped her fingers into his hair, drawing him closing, and his hands slid around to her hips. There was too much space between them, and those weeks and a couple days felt like months and years. They were...truly happy, and Regina felt a smile on her lips that hadn't been there in too long. He brought out a part of her that added to what she wanted most. She had Henry, so she still had unconditional love and happiness, and now she had Robin back, and she felt her hope bolstering that she didn't need the author, that someone was looking out for her, that the good she had done was being acknowledged and that she was atoning.

Robin broke the kiss due to the burning in his lungs, and they both chuckled, their foreheads touching, and Robin opened his eyes, taking in all of her. He never wanted to have to a picture be all he had of her. Pictures didn't do the real thing justice.

"What are you doing here?" she finally requested. "Is everything all right? Are Roland and Marian all right?"

"Everything's fine." He cupped her cheeks. "I... Marian helped me realize that by staying with her I was only making us both miserable, and we both deserve a chance at happiness."

"What about Roland?"

"Emma...used some scroll that allowed me back into town. Until that magic goes down, we can use that to bring Roland through. Marian and I still have to work out what's going to happen, but we'll make it work." He smiled at her. "I missed you."

She returned it and kissed him once. "Remind me to thank Marian." She stroked his cheek, looking him over, and she laughed, kissing him again. She needed to thank Emma as well.

–_One Year Later–_

Emma was trying to deal with the issues that had arisen in town since a certain band of people wanted to get into Storybrooke with Killian and David's help. Regina wanted to give them a second chance. This whole place was made to give people second chances, and it wasn't up to them to choose who entered and who did not. If Regina could change, so could they, and they deserved that chance. They had the Snow Queen's scroll, and Emma and Regina had decided to let them into the town, which Emma and David and Killian were going to do.

Mary Margaret was tensely tending to Neal and Henry, assisting with homework and making snacks—anything to keep her hands and her mind busy. She didn't like that Regina and Emma were going to let them in. They had held peace for so long now, and it would be a shame to see that come crumbling down. Or so she told Emma. She didn't want Emma to know her actual reason. The reason that make her hands shake as she spread peanut butter over bread, and while she was distracted with trying to still her hands and guard her face, Henry was pushing a list of notes he had made on how to get ink for the author over his homework.

The author was currently locked up in the police station after his attempted escape a few months ago. They wanted to make sure it was safe to release him, and some things came up in between so they had to leave Belle to do most of the work, and it paid off. They were able to prevent him from running. Luckily—and sadly—he was unable to write due to lack of ink. They kept him in a cell ever since. Emma didn't trust him, and David insisted. They treated him well—they fed him, let him stretch his legs every once in a while, let him get some air with extreme supervision—and he was compliant enough to make it work.

Robin worked with David and Emma from time to time, but most of his time was spent trying to aid Marian and Roland. He was worried about them, but Marian had done well in the land without magic. She had a good job, and she had even moved out of Neal's apartment. She had found a school for Roland, and she seemed satisfied. He knew Roland was happy, confused but happy. Robin knew when the boy was older, he'd have to explain the two different worlds he lived in and why he had to keep this one to himself. For now, he was just a child with a vivid imagination. He had colorful tales to tell his classmates, and the teachers were fond of him. It was all working out now. The bumps that had always been there were smoothing out.

Belle still worked the pawn shop, helping out with whatever she could, and she had grown close to Will Scarlet, as well as the Charmings and Mills. They had become a team while dealing Oogie Boogie, and that bond didn't disperse once he was gone. They had to make a lot of tough decisions, and what they went through stuck with them all. It was funny how they just knew Oogie was in their town. Looking back, it seemed none of them could recall how they knew. They knew without a shadow of doubt he was dead so they didn't need to dwell on hows. They had more to worry right now about than past matters anyway.

––

"Well, they're in," Emma spoke to Regina on the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Thank you. I...wish I could have been there." She would have liked to have seen them, test their legitimacy.

"I think you have a good excuse as to why you weren't here to greet them." Emma climbed into the car. "I'll call Mom and then see you."

"You don't have to come."

"Yes, I do. Henry's already bugging Mom about it, and I want to come. Unless you don't want me there." Emma smirked. "A little emotional?"

There was a pause then she sighed. "Enjoy this while it lasts." She hung up.

Emma chuckled and shook her head, closing the door. "Let's go get Henry, Dad."

"Are you taking him to see Regina?"

"Yeah. He's been asking about her since last night, and he needs something to take his mind off trying to find some way to get ink. Once he has his mind set on something, it's nearly impossible to stop him."

"Sounds familiar."

She smiled at him and put her seat belt on. He drove them to the apartment where Henry and Mary Margaret were finishing up their work, and Emma dug out her car keys while Henry loaded his backpack. They departed, and Emma noticed the look exchanged between her parents. She would ask about it later.

"How'd she sound?" Henry tossed his backpack into the backseat.

"She sounded...tired, a little emotional."

"You didn't tease her, did you?"

"What? No, I would never..." Emma watched their shared eyebrow arch that said 'I know you better than that', "...miss an opportunity to tease her."

"Mom."

"What? She'll recover, and I won't have another chance to quip without her relentless coming back."

They got into the car, and Henry talked about school for about two minutes when Emma asked then he began to talk about the ink and his theories. She was impressed on how much thought he had put into this, how much research he had done, and she was really surprised he was still making As and Bs in school with how many ideas he had. He certainly was obsessive sometimes, but it was healthy. If obsessions could be healthy.

Emma parked the car while Henry jogged inside, and he made his way to his mom, adjusting his backpack. He ran into Robin first, who was on the phone, talking to who he guessed was Roland, and he left him be. He continued on and found his mom. He stopped outside the room, seeing she was busy with Belle. They were talking and smiling, and Belle was holding a toy.

"...just thought of you." She held it out to her.

"Belle," Regina accepted the soft brown and white stuffed animal, "this is precious. I'm sure she'll love it."

"If she doesn't, I brought a book."

"Of course." Regina grinned and set the animal on her lap.

"I couldn't find a suitable book in the library so, with the help of Killian, we made one."

"You made one?" Regina looked at the bag Belle revealed before she reached into it and pulled out a leather bound book. The title read: _Regina and the Little Queen._ She opened it, and Belle was practically buzzing with excitement and pride at their work. Killian, who once was quite the artist, did his best to illustrate some of the pages, and with some assistance, he did an amazing job, and Belle produced the story line with the help of Will. It was charming and appropriate.

Regina lifted her eyes from the book to Belle, and Belle held her breath. "Belle, this is amazing. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." She smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"I do." She gripped Belle's hand. "Thank you."

Henry waited a moment to join them, Belle greeted him with a smile, and Regina gave him a brief kiss on his forehead. He was shown the book and the stuffed animal, and he saw a few more gifts in bags along the wall. He didn't know why she didn't have a baby shower, but he was static to see she had gotten gifts from people outside their family.

"I have to go check on the shop, but I'll try and stop by later." Belle stepped toward the door. "Hopefully she'll be awake."

"Thank you for the gifts."

She nodded and left.

"She's asleep?" Henry looked over at his baby sister.

"Yeah. Robin made the mistake of picking her up when she'd just fall asleep, and she didn't stop crying for two hours, but I was to sooth her, and she fell back asleep. She's been asleep since."

"Oh." He nodded. "I brought you something."

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He reached into his backpack and handed her the item.

She was a little bemused at the gift the she comprehended what it was and grinned. It was an apple from the tree they had planted last year. She couldn't remember why they planted it, but it was a perfect addition to their backyard. The apple was perfect as well: red as blood, firm, no blemishes. She was surprised Henry had time to get an apple. He had school then he was going to finish his homework with his grandma. Perhaps he and Mary Margaret stopped by their house after school. "Thank you, Henry."

He smiled. "We can share, if you want. I brought this. It was in your vault, covered in dust." He dug out the switchblade with the C and M and vines engraved on it. "I've had it with me for a while now. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind that you took it, but I do mind that you're carrying around a weapon."

"It's for just in case!" There were a lot of just in case instances that he could use to justify him keeping a weapon, and hiding a sword was a lot harder than tucking a switchblade into his back pocket.

She took the switchblade and looked over the engravings. "How odd."

"What?"

"The initials on this... They're the same as your sister's."

"I noticed that too. Kinda spooky." He studied her face. "You don't know who it belonged to?"

"No. It just...appeared in my vault one day." She brushed her finger over the markings then met his eyes. "A mystery for another time."

Emma strolled through the hospital to Regina's room, running into Robin and having a brief conversation. They headed to the room together as Regina and Henry shared the apple he had brought, and when Emma and Robin entered the room, the baby began to rouse.

Emma gently cuddled the baby girl in her arms. She hadn't had time to come by before or after Regina gave birth. She had busy with Ursula and Cruella, but Mom and Robin and Henry had been here for her. This was the first time she was laying eyes on the first biological Mills child. She was beautiful. She was going to have the same hair as her mom, those same beautiful brown eyes, and—well her entire face actually. She had Robin's nose though.

Emma looked at Regina. "She's beautiful, Regina."

"I know."

Emma smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here before."

"It's all right, Emma." Regina waved it away. "It's understandable."

"Yeah, we were for her." Henry was eager to hold his little sister, but he'd wait. "Grandma was especially. Well, for a bit anyway."

"A bit?" Emma cut a glance to Regina.

"After a while Regina threatened to smother her with a pillow," Robin replied.

"Regina!"

"Wait until it's your turn and then we'll see how well you take her." She crossed her arms. "It's not as if I was going to actually smother her."

Henry slid off the bed. "I'd like to hold her."

"All right, kid. Remember to support her head." She passed the baby carefully over to him. "Yeah, like that."

As Henry held his little sister, Robin sat beside Regina and held her hand, and Emma gave Regina a gift from someone who couldn't make it due to a swamped diner. Granny had made a hand-knitted blanket for the newest member of Storybrooke, just like Emma's and Neal's. It was soft and a pale pink with the name sewn into it in gold. It was beautiful, and Regina was utterly stunned Granny had made this for her child. She would have to thank her later in person.

Regina looked over as Henry gently rocked Claire in his arms, as he had done many times with Neal over the past few weeks when he went over to their apartment after school sometimes, and she smiled at the sight of her little prince and the little light. She may not have it in ink, but as long as she had them and this...inner peace with where she was and who she was, she didn't need it. This was all she'd ever need.


End file.
